Started his career as an usher in theater. Mr. Wayburn would become a Choreographer, Dancer, Author and probably the first Dance Studio-Chain owner (Ned Wayburn Studio's) with studios in Florida, New York (1841 Broadway,) Atlantic City and Chicago.

   Wayburn taught many famous people between the 1910's and 1930's to dance such as Fred Astaire, Ann Pennington (1913 Passing Show), Gilda Gray, Marilyn Miller, Ada Mae Weeks, Evelyn Law, Oscar Shaw, Marx Brothers, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor etc. as well as created many new dances of the time such as the 'Gilda Glide' for Gilda Gray, the 'Ziegfeld Walk' for the Ziegfeld Girls, so his showgirls could navigate the steep staircases, which would consist of an exaggerated hip and shoulder thrust, and another dance called the Whirlwind Waltz for the Ceballos dance team.

--In 1902, at the New York Theater Roof, Wayburn

Stage

dance was used in a public and professional sense.

-- Ned had a immensely succesful dance studio called 'Ned Wayburn's College of Vaudeville.'During Wayburn's time dancing fell into four categories; Musical Comedy, Modern Dances (ballroom), Buck and Wing and Soft Shoe. Wayburn would teach budding stars and starlets these three categories and included make-up, Costuming, Diet, Singing and Deportment which was all taught at his studios. Buddy Bradley would be Wayburn's only competition with Wayburn being considered "Square" when it came to Bradley, but because Bradley was black he would not get the credit for many of his dancing students successes.

--In Atlantic City Ned created the Wayburn's Nightingales (1907), which consisted of the Marks boys (Groucho and Gummo) and little Mabel O'Donnell, they later were called the Three Nightingales (finally ending as Four). Wayburn married and divorced Helene Davis, who was known for singing the song 'Smiles.'