Shelley Washington

Shelley Washington studied with Twyla Tharp at Wolf Trap Academy and American University, prior to being invited to join Twyla Tharp Dance Company in 1975. She had previously danced as a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company. A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Washington furthered her training at the Juilliard School. In 1977, she performed in the film Hair; in 1985, she performed in Singin’ in the Rain on Broadway and served as dance captain for that production. In 1987, she was honored with a Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance.

From 1988 to 1992, Washington joined American Ballet Theatre in association with Twyla Tharp as a Soloist and Rehearsal Director. In 1993, she was the rehearsal director for Twyla Tharp’s “Cutting Up” tour starring Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Twyla Tharp and Dancers City Center Season in New York, and Tharp Dances’ International Tour. Washington continues to work with Tharp as a repetiteur, setting, staging, and directing ballets for various companies including: American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Martha Graham Dance Company, The Australian Ballet, The Birmingham Royal Ballet, Ballet Rambert, The Royal Ballet, The Dutch National, The Zurich Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Kansas City Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Ballet San Jose, The Royal Danish, and the Royal Swedish Ballet.

In addition, Washington spent the summer of 1999 working with Trevor Nunn’s Company, The Royal National Theater, as a movement director and choreographer for the play A Darker Face of the Earth which opened at the Cottlesloe Theater in London, England.