Christopher Wheeldon.

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Choreographer // 36 // New York City

CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON has put sugarplum fairies on notice. The New York Times called the ballet wunderkind "the most talented classical choreographer of his generation," in part for his sublime ability to shake the dust off a couple centuries of ballet tradition. In 2007 the precocious Wheeldon left the alpha-dog New York City Ballet, where he had been a soloist and then resident choreographer, to found his own company, Morphoses, and since has been calling upon an astounding international network of dancers and choreographers to fill its ranks season by season. Today, the British choreographer--artistic director is preparing for Morphoses' third season in fall 2009--plus a Central Park SummerStage collaboration with fellow iconoclast and Brooklyn neighbor Martha Wainwright. Charming and understated, Wheeldon says his adopted home city has done a lot to bolster his confidence as a gay man: "I'm in a place where I can focus my energies on my craft and not have to fight to exist." And while his work isn't overtly political, he says, "I create my dances to transport people. We're living in a time where beauty and poetry is really important. If anything, that's my political statement."