Dancer, sailor, traveler and much more:
Joan Wolf is one of few female yacht
commodores in the country. Photo by Jerry Lower
Joan Wolf has always been one to put her best foot forward.
The founder of a ballet company with 40 dancers and a ballet school with 500 students a week, she acquired a keen business sense over the years, while honing her leadership and communication skills. She already had charm and self-discipline.
Her skill set and character traits took her to many interesting places during her career.
“The world of ballet is small,” she explains. “So when George Balanchine invited dancers to network with him in New York, I would meet with other major players in the world of classical ballet. With Mary Ellen Cabot and Joan Kennedy, Violette Verdy and I went to China as guests of the government to coach dancers. Later, I was invited to go to Russia with prominent ballet dancers to network for a month with the Bolshoi.
“I also went to Paris, Greece and Israel to network. That’s how I became titled ‘ambassador.’ ”
Dancers from New York City Ballet came to perform in her dance company and she knew Mikhail Baryshnikov even before he became a celebrity (“He was a sweet, quiet, charming young man,” she said.) And, in the men’s classes at her school, she taught ballet to hockey players and members of a football team coached by Bill Parcell.
“My life has been magical,” she said.
These days, she has exchanged her leotards and toe shoes for a navy-blue-and-white nautical look, and the title “commodore” has been added to her list of accomplishments.
Soon after moving to the Yacht & Racquet Club of Boca Raton, husband Ken started the Yachtsmen’s Club and was one its first commodores. Now, it’s Joan’s turn. She was elected fleet captain a few years ago, and rose through the ranks to rear commodore and vice commodore to commodore. She is one of two lady commodores in Florida, she believes.
In her new position, she has already set the year’s agenda of meetings, social events and boat trips for the Yachtsmen’s Club. At her first event, an opening dinner in November, attendance was larger than expected — a real show of support, she says — and, this coming year, she’s committed to contributing not only her business skills, but her creative touch as well.
— Christine Davis
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school?
A. I grew up in Richmond. I’m a fourth-generation Virginian. I attended William and Mary College.
Q. What are some highlights of your life?
A. I was a member of the Richmond Ballet Company. I started the Joan Wolf Ballet Company and the Joan Wolf Ballet School, where I was the teacher, choreographer, producer and director for 30 years. My students have become professional dancers in major dance companies all over the world. I am an ambassador from the world of ballet and I’ve coached dancers in Russia, China, Paris, Israel and Greece.
I am married to Ken Weisberg and I have two children, Eric and Elizabeth, and one grandchild, Sarah. I am also an entrepreneur, civic leader, writer and consultant and I am listed in the Who’s Who of American Women.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Boca Raton?
A. Ken and I moved to Florida 22 years ago, following good friends who lived at Yacht & Racquet Club of Boca Raton.
Q. What do people not know about you that you wish they would?
A. I support the arts, which is a natural fit considering my background. My husband and I are patrons of the Boca Museum, where I take classes. We are on the boards of the former Boca Symphonic Pops Orchestra and Dance Library of Israel. We’re Keeper of the Gate patrons of the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and we volunteer at Boca Hospital.
Along with Ken, who is a Coast Guard auxiliary coxswain, we own a 40-foot Searay vessel, the She Wolf. We live at the Yacht & Racquet Club of Boca Raton, which has a marina of its own. I was raised on the water, so becoming involved with boating was natural for me.
I lead 75 vessels housed at Yacht & Racquet Club on excursions to Palm Beach or South to Key West. We also do educational seminars on boating safety and engage speakers about boating in general.
I bicycle and I continue to workout in fitness classes — Zumba, Pilates, etc.
Q. What is your favorite destination and why do you like traveling there?
A. We travel to Alaska where my grandchild lives.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Boca Raton?
A. The weather suits our clothes.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. My life has been filled with classical music and I still enjoy it. I also like to listen to Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow and Carol King, especially her Tapestry album.
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. My mother was my best inspiration and mentor.
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A. My mother taught me, “If you look for the good in people you will find it.” I try to live by that philosophy. I miss her terribly. She passed away 20 years ago when I was coaching dancers in Beijing.
Q. Who or what makes you laugh?
A. My husband, Ken, has a great sense of humor. He still makes me laugh (and cry) after being together 30 years.
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