Wilhelm Burmann

Wilhelm "Willy" Burmann (April 3, 1939 – March 30, 2020) was a German dancer, ballet master, and teacher.

Early life Burmann was born on April 3, 1939, in Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, where he grew up on a farm. He had one sister, Christel Weideman. He began training as a dancer when he was fifteen years old.

Career Burmann was a principal dancer for companies including Frankfurt Ballet, Grand Théâtre du Genève, and Stuttgart Ballet. He also danced with companies including New York City Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and New Jersey Ballet.

Burmann was a ballet master at the Washington Ballet and the Ballet du Nord. His teaching style, which was fast-paced and demanding, has been compared to that of George Balanchine, for whom Burmann danced for four years. Burmann was described by The New York Times in 2004 as "easily the most revered New York ballet teacher of his era".

Some of Burmann's students included Alessandra Ferri, Julio Bocca, Maria Kowroski, Wendy Whelan, Alexandra Ansanelli, Ángel Corella, and Michele Wiles.

Burmann began to grow ill in 2018, though he did not ease his teaching schedule. He died on March 30, 2020, in Mount Sinai West hospital from renal failure, after COVID-19 complicated his treatment.