Ronnie J. Whittaker, a prolific and cherished member of the Denver dance community, died at his home Oct. 2 of heart failure. He was 54.
Born Feb. 20, 1955, in Salt Lake City, Whittaker and his fraternal twin, Donnie, were among 11 children in the Whittaker family. Whittaker’s 6-foot-2-inch frame instantly stood out when he started dancing at the University of Utah in the early 1970s, grabbing the attention of visiting Denver choreographer and dancer Cleo Parker Robinson.
Robinson brought Whittaker to Denver to train, allowing him to work with legendary African-American dancers and choreographers such as Milton Meyers, Katherine Dunham, and Donald MacKayle.
“He had such an effortless style,” said longtime friend Obe Hankins. “He was long, tall, lean and very graceful. He had a lot of technique and danced with a variety of groups, from classical with the Colorado Ballet to African and modern dance with Cleo Parker Robinson and David Taylor Dance Theatre.”
By the time Whittaker met Kim Robards in 1989, he was a seasoned dancer and teacher at Gayton Dance Studio.
“Our lines really complemented one another and our bodies seemed to naturally mold together,” said Robards, a choreographer and dancer who runs Denver’s Kim Robards Dance. “He had such an amazing presence. And when you add it up, he probably taught something like a thousand students or more between all the different companies and as an independent teacher.”
After retiring from dancing in 2000, Whittaker continued teaching dance and designing costumes for the Robinson and Taylor companies.
His sister, Barbara White, remembers him not just for his artistic achievements, but his personality.
“He was always the most caring, generous person,” she said.
Friends and family members will hold a public memorial for Whittaker at 7 p.m. Sunday at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, 119 Park Ave. West. Guests are invited to bring stories and pictures of Whittaker, which will be compiled for his 92-year-old mother, Dorothy, in Utah.
In lieu of flowers, guests are also asked to bring donations to assist with funeral-related expenses or to send support to Dorothy Whittaker-Hammeren, Attn.: Ronnie Memorial Fund, c/o Bellco Credit Union, 15321 E. Orchard Road, Centennial, CO 80015.
Whittaker is survived by his mother, sisters Arlene Isador and Barbara White, twin brother Donnie and brother Michael, all of Salt Lake City; sister Clara Jones of Clinton, Utah; sister Darlene Rodriguez of Chicago; and his niece Dorothy Whittaker-Hammeren of Denver.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
