Wendy de la Harpe

Wendy de la Harpe (19**-) is a choreographer and director.

Biography

Wendy de la Harpe was born and raised in South Africa, where she established a career as one of the country’s top choreographers in stage, television and film productions in the 1960s-1980s.

She is a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance, which is a leading international dance examination board specializing in classical ballet.

In the 1980s she moved to the USA, inter alia to found the Columbia Dance Company in Vancouver in 1987 (with Jan Asai), to serve as associate artistic director, interim academy director and education director for Ballet Idaho (2000-2009), and later to teach her "Dare 2 Dance" curriculum in in Laramie Wyoming, where she introduces students to the cultural stories and music of South Africa. She also incorporates kinesthetic teaching techniques into the classroom.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Choreographer for Sweet Fanny Adams, Group Hairier and Kismet. Assistant Choreographer and director for West Side Story. Director of Wendy de la Harpe Dance Promotions.

She did choreography for Anthony Farmer’s production of Around the World in 80 Days for JODS at the Johannesburg Civic in 1966.

She took over the role of choreographer from Geoffrey Sutherland, after dissatisfaction from the director, for the JODS production Applause at the Civic Theatre in 1971.

She choreographed the Brickhill-Burke extravaganza Follies Spectacular at the Civic in 1972.

She did the choreography for the JODS production of New Faces of 1978, directed by Anthony Farmer at the Alhambra Theatre in 1978 and for Little Shop of Horrors in 1985.