For Wendy Whelan, the principal dancer in the New York City Ballet, hitting the stage is only one part of the package that comes with a successful dance career.

Ms. Whelan also sees herself as an educator, emissary, champion and cheerleader for the prestigious New York City Ballet and dance in general.

Though much of her time is spent dancing for New York audiences, she also takes pleasure in traveling and dancing for audiences that might not otherwise get the New York City Ballet experience.

"The New York crowd is sort of jaded and have seen these ballets so many times," Ms. Whelan said in a recent telephone interview from London, where she was performing. "But the people who haven't seen this are blown away. So for us, it is always great to be seen with new eyes."

Ms. Whelan will perform with five other New York City Ballet dancers, including principal male dancer Albert Evans, at the Augusta Ballet's Ballet Stars of New York on Friday at the Imperial Theatre.

Ms. Whelan began her career with the New York City Ballet in 1984 as an apprentice, the year after the company's founder, George Balanchine, died. Ms. Whelan said that although she never danced for Balanchine, his presence is still felt.

"It's very intense," she said. "And there have been a lot of pockets of both insecurity and self-discovery along the way."

Ms. Whelan said she has been fortunate to work with choreographer Christopher Wheeldon on several occasions. She will perform his piece Liturgy with Mr. Evans in Augusta.

She said there's a very particular connection that happens when she is in the studio with Mr. Wheeldon.

"Initially, I had no idea we would work together so well," she said. "Thankfully, it is something that has happened time and time again."

Ms. Whelan has spent nearly 25 years as a professional dancer in the demanding New York City Ballet. She said that she feels fortunate to have had an extraordinarily long dance career, for both professional and personal reasons.

"When I turned 30, I feel like I started a new life as a dancer," she said. "I started to relax. I started to look at dance in a different way. It's made me stronger, a stronger person, a stronger dancer.

"I'm very happy, as a human being, with what I have done over the past 25 years."

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.