Patrice Bart, Jahrgang 1945, ist untrennbar mit dem Ballett und der Ballettschule der Opéra de Paris verbunden. 1957 trat er in die Schule ein und wurde bereits 1959 Mitglied des Corps de ballet. Als Coryphée erhielt er 1963 den Prix René Blum, der den vielversprechendsten jungen Tänzern verliehen wird. 1969 gewann er als Premier danseur die Goldmedaille beim Tänzerwettbewerb in Moskau und wurde 1972 zum Etoile ernannt. Patrice Bart tanzte die männlichen Hauptrollen in Balletten wie Schwanensee, Petruschka, Dornröschen, Don Quixote, Der verlorene Sohn und trat in Kreationen wie Constellations (Serge Lifar, 1969), Mouvances (Roland Petit, 1976) und Métaboles (Kenneth McMillan, 1978) auf. Von 1970 bis 1982 gastierte Bart regelmässig als Etoile beim London Festival Ballet, dem jetzigen English National Ballet. Er war ausserdem mit zahlreichen Compagnien auf den bedeutendsten internationalen Bühnen zu sehen. Noch vor seinem offiziellen Bühnenabschied im Jahre 1989 begann Patrice Barts Karriere als Ballettmeister, der sich mehr und mehr mit Direktionsaufgaben befasste, nach dem Weggang von Rudolf Nurejew auch, zusammen mit Eugen Poljakow, für einige Zeit als Interimsdirektor. Danach war Patrice Bart über mehr als zwei Jahrzehnte als der Direktion assoziierter Ballettmeister wesentlich mitverantwortlich für die Aufrechterhaltung und Weiterführung der aussergewöhnlichen Tradition und des hohen Standards der französischen Elite-Compagnie. 1991 inszenierte er, zusammen mit Eugen Poljakow, die Pariser Giselle-Produktion aus Anlass des 150. Jahrestags der Uraufführung. 1992 assistierte er Rudolf Nurejew bei der Einstudierung von La Bayadère. 1993 brachte er seine eigene Don Quixote-Produktion an der Berliner Staatsoper heraus, die auch vom Finnischen Nationaltheater übernommen wurde. Für die Mailänder Scala inszenierte er eine neue Giselle, deren Premiere 1996 im Fernsehen europaweit live übertragen wurde. Ebenfalls 1996 brachte er mit Coppélia seine erste abendfüllende Eigenproduktion für die Opéra de Paris heraus. 1997 hatte seine Neufassung von Schwanensee an der Deutschen Staatsoper in Berlin Premiere. 1998 schuf er für das Bayerische Staatsballett eine neue, komplettierte Fassung von Petipas La Bayadère. Es folgten für Berlin Der Nussknacker (1999) und Romeo und Julia (2002). Ausserdem kreierte er einige ganz neue, eigene Stoffe: Verdiana (Berlin 1999, Florenz 2001), La Petite Danseuse de Degas (Paris 2003), Tschaikowsky (Helsinki 2005), Gustav III. (Stockholm 2008), Das flammende Herz (Berlin 2009) und Chopin (Warschau 2010). Jüngste Projekt waren Giselle für das Koreanische Nationalballett in Seoul und das Balletto di Roma (2011) sowie – ebenfalls in Rom – Romeo und Julia (2011) und Schwanensee (2013). Patrice Bart ist Commandeur des Arts et Lettres, Officier de l’Ordre national du Mérite und Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur.

Paul Connelly studierte am New England Conservatory in Boston und debütierte als Dirigent mit Gershwins Porgy and Bess im Rahmen einer Tournee der Houston Grand Opera. 1980 wurde er auf Einladung von Michail Baryshnikov Erster Kapellmeister des American Ballet Theatre und arbeitete dort mit Choreografen wie Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine und Anthony Tudor. Während dieser Zeit dirigierte er auch Vorstellungen des New York City Ballet sowie Gala-Veranstaltungen wie Nureyev and Friends und Baryshnikov and Co., ausserdem war er Gastdirigent beim National Ballet of Canada. Während der Zeit beim ABT war er an zahlreichen Film- und Fernsehprojekten beteiligt (u.a. Don Quixote). Zu seinen Opernaktivitäten in dieser Zeit gehören Brittens Death in Venice, Debussys Pelléas et Mélisande sowie Purcells Dido and Aeneas. Nach der musikalischen Leitung einer Ballettgala an der Wiener Staatsoper wurde ihm dort Rossinis Barbiere di Siviglia anvertraut, ein Erfolg, der den Anfang einer intensiven Dirigententätigkeit in Europa markiert. Einladungen führten ihn zum Staatsballett Berlin, das Ballett der Opéra Paris (Verfilmungen von Neumeiers Sylvia, Balanchines Jewels, Giselle, Roland-Petit-Abend), zum Orchestre Colonne in Paris, an das Opernhaus Nizza, ans Teatro di San Carlo in Neapel, an die Oper Oslo, zum Royal Ballet in London und in Birmingham, zum Het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam, zum Tokyo Ballet, zum Semperoper Ballett Dresden und an die Mailänder Scala, wo er auf Einladung von Riccardo Muti die Opern Il turco in Italia, Die Zauberflöte oder Don Giovanni dirigierte. An der Scala leitete er auch eine Reihe von Ballettaufführungen, unter anderem Giselle, die auch verfilmt wurde. Auf DVD erschienen jüngst Mauro Bigonzettis Caravaggio mit dem Staatsballett Berlin und Nureyews Nussknacker mit dem Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper. Geplant sind weitere Ballettdirigate in Wien, Berlin, Dresden und Mailand.

Luisa Spinatelli wurde an der Akademie der Schönen Künste im italienischen Brera zur Bühnen- und Kostümbildnerin ausgebildet. Heute ist sie dort als Dozentin tätig. Ihr erstes Bühnenbild entwarf sie 1965 an der Mailänder Scala für das Ballett Francesca da Rimini. Auch auf dem Gebiet des Schauspiels und der Oper machte sie sich bald einen Namen. Opern wie Attila, La forza del destino, Andrea Chénier oder Fedora waren an der Mailänder Scala in ihrem Bühnenbild zu sehen. Für das Teatro Regio in Turin entwarf sie die Ausstattung für Kiss me, Kate und Die Jungfrau von Orléans sowie für das Teatro Massimo in Palermo Luisa Miller. Ihre ureigenste Domäne ist aber stets das Ballett geblieben. In ihrer Ausstattung gelangte 1976 Der Nussknacker in der Arena di Verona zur Aufführung, den Klassiker stattete sie auch 1999 für die Staatsoper Unter den Linden und 2002 beim Tulsa Ballett aus.Sie entwarf Bühnenbilder und Kostüme für Robert Norths Choreografhie Orlando am Teatro dell’Opera in Rom, für die Dornröschen-Inszenierung des Royal Opera House Covent Garden, für Pierre Lacottes Paquita am Bolschoi Theater Moskau, für eine Inszenierung der Pique Dame am Nationaltheater Tokio oder für George Balanchines Choreografie Ein Sommernachtstraum an der Mailänder Scala. Für ihre Ausstattung von Schwanensee, den Patrice Bart 1997 für die Staatsoper Unter den Linden choreografiert hat, wurde sie mit dem Benois de la danse ausgezeichnet, und 2005 wurde ihr für die Ausstattung von Raymonda in Tokio der Premio Akiko Tachibana verliehen. Luisa Spinatelli und Patrice Bart haben bereits mehrfach zusammengearbeitet.

Martin Gebhardt war Lichtgestalter und Beleuchtungsmeister bei John Neumeiers Hamburg Ballett. Ab 2002 arbeitete er mit Heinz Spoerli und dem Ballett Zürich zusammen. Ballettproduktionen der bei­den Compagnien führten ihn an re­nom­mierte Theater in Eu­ro­pa, Asien und Amerika. Am Opernhaus Zürich schuf er das Lichtdesign für Inszenie­run­gen von Jürgen Flimm, Grischa Asagaroff, Matthias Hartmann, David Pountney, Moshe Leiser/Patrice Caurier, Da­miano Mi­chie­letto und Achim Freyer. Bei den Salzburger Festspielen kreierte er die Lichtgestaltung für La bohème und eine Neufassung von Spoerlis Der Tod und das Mädchen. Mit Christoph Mar­tha­ler und Anna Viebrock arbeitete er beim Händel-Abend Sale und Rossinis Il viaggio a Reims zusammen. Seit der Spielzeit 2012/13 ist Martin Gebhardt Leiter des Beleuchtungswesens am Opernhaus Zürich. Eine enge Zu­sam­men­arbeit verbindet ihn heute mit dem Choreografen Christian Spuck (Anna Karenina, Woyzeck, Der Sandmann, Sonett, Leonce und Lena, Paysage obscure). In jüngster Zeit war er ausserdem Lichtdesigner für die Choreografen Alexei Ratmansky, Wayne McGregor, Marco Goecke, Douglas Lee und Edward Clug.

Chinese-American dancer Yen Han studied with Stefan Mucsi and Paul Maure in Los Angeles, at the Hartford Ballet School, at the San Francisco Ballet, and at the Beijing Dance Academy. After engagements with the Jeune Ballet de France and the Ballet de Nice, she was engaged as a principal dancer in the Ballett Zürich in 1994, where she has proven to be one of the most versatile and charismatic dancers in a variety of leading roles. Heinz Spoerli choreographed Le Sacre du printemps, Peer Gynt, Daphnis et Chloé, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for her. She worked with Mats Ek on Sleeping Beauty (Aurora), and at the Royal Swedish Opera on Romeo and Juliet (Juliet). Other important choreographers she has worked with include Nicholas Beriozoff, Hans van Manen, Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Mauro Bigonzetti, Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, Patrice Bart, Lin Hwai Min, Sol León/Paul Lightfoot, Martin Schläpfer, and Filipe Portugal. She has been seen in works by Christian Spuck, as Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), Court Master (Leonce and Lena), Kitty (Anna Karenina), in Messa da Requiem and as the Clown (Nutcracker and Mouse King). In 2013 she was honored with the Dance Prize of the Friends of Ballett Zürich and the Outstanding Female Dancer prize at the Swiss Dance Awards.

Inna Bilash comes from Ukraine. She studied ballet at the Kharkov Choreographic School, Perm State Choreographic College and Perm State Academy of Arts and Culture. She was a principal dancerß in the Perm ballet and danced Juliet in Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, Odette/Odile in Natalia Makorova's Swan Lake, Giselle in the choreography of Perrot/Coralli/Petipa, the Bride in Kylián's Les Noces, and Masha in MacMillan's Winter Dreams. She has also appeared as a soloist in choreographies by Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, and Douglas Lee. She won the Arabesque Competition in Perm and the Bolshoi Ballet Television Competition. In 2017 she was awarded the prize of the “The Soul of Dance” ballet magazine. This is Inna Bilash first season as a member of the Ballett Zürich.

Polina Semionova stammt aus Moskau. Sie erhielt ihre Ballettausbildung an der Bolschoi Ballettschule und wurde direkt nach ihrem Abschluss im Alter von 17 Jahren als Erste Solotänzerin an das Ballett der Staatsoper Unter den Linden verpflichtet. Seit September 2012 ist sie Principal Dancer beim American Ballet Theatre, Principal Guest beim Mikhailovsky Theater St. Petersburg und beim Bayerischen Staatsballett München. Polina Semionova tanzt nahezu alle grossen Partien des klassischen Balletts: Odette-­Odile (Schwanensee), Nikia (La Bayadère), Marie (Der Nussknacker), Prinzessin Aurora (Dorn­röschen), Swanilda (Coppélia), Kitri (Don Quixote), Giselle und Myrtha (Giselle), Tatjana (John Crankos Onegin), Sieglinde und Brünnhilde (Maurice Béjarts Ring um den Ring), Manon (Titelrolle), Julia (in Kenneth MacMillans, Leonid Lawrowskis sowie Nacho Duatos Versionen von Romeo und Julia), Michail Fokins Scheherazade und Les Sylphides, die Titelrollen in Vladimir Malakhovs Cinderella, in Roland Petits Carmen oder Frederick Ashtons Sylvia. Zu ihrem Repertoire zählen ausserdem Werke von Robbins, Balanchine, Forsythe, Neumeier, Kylián und Tudor. Choreografen wie Nacho Duato, Mauro Bi­gon­­zetti, Patrice Bart, Renato Zanella, Uwe Scholz, Alexei Ratmansky, Giorgio Madia, Twyla Tharp und Christian Spuck arbeiteten mit ihr und kreierten Rollen für sie. Einladungen führten Polina Semionova an die Mailänder Scala, zum American Ballet Theatre, zum Bayerischen Staatsballett, ans Mikhailovsky Theater St. Petersburg, zum Dresden Semperoper Ballett, zum English National Ballet, zum Tokyo Ballet, zum Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper, zum Ballett Zürich, zum Ballett des Mariinsky Theaters St. Pe­ters­burg, zum Bolschoi Ballett Moskau, zum  Stutt­garter Ballett und zum Ballett der Opera di Roma. Polina Semionova wurde mit zahlreichen Auszeichnungen geehrt, darunter die Gold­­medaille beim Internationalen Ballettwett­be­werb in Moskau, der Erste Preis des Waganowa-­Ballettwettbewerbs St. Petersburg, der Ju­­nior­preis des Internationalen Ballettwettbewerbs Nagoya (Japan), der Berliner Publikumspreis «Daphne», der Deutsche Kritikerpreis und der Deutsche Tanzpreis «Zukunft». 2007 wurde sie vom deutschen Ballettmagazin tanz zur «Tänzerin des Jahres» gekürt und erhielt 2008 den Heinz-Spoerli-Preis. 2014 wurde ihr der derzeit wohl wichtigste Preis der Ballettwelt, der «Benois de la danse», verliehen. 2013 wurde sie von der Staatlichen Ballettschule Berlin als Professorin berufen.

Eléonore Guérineau is French. After her training at the Paris Opera Ballet School, she danced at the Paris Opera Ballet from 2005 to 2018, since 2013 as a Sujet (demi- soloist). Her main roles in Paris were Gourouli in Les deux pigeons by Albert Aveline, Lise in La fille mal gardée by Frederick Ashton and the title role in Giselle by Perrot/Coralli. She danced other important roles in Bergamasques by Jean-Guillaume Bart, Donizetti by Manuel Legris, Seasons Canon by Crystal Pite and Faun by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. She has also appeared in Artifact, In the Middle, of any if and, and The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe. In 2009 she was awarded the AROP Award of the Paris Opera Ballet. She performed as Kitri in Don Quichote in Bangkok. She also completed studies as a ballet teacher. This is Eléonore Guérineau’s first season as a member of the Ballett Zürich.

Kevin Pouzou is French. He studied at the École de Danse de l'Opéra de Paris and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris. In 2007 he became a member of the Berlin State Ballet, where he was appointed principal dancer in 2015. He has performed as Benno in Patrice Bart’s Swan Lake, as Paris in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, as well as in choreographies by George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Stanton Welch, Angelin Preljocaj, Alexei Ratmansky, Ohad Nahrin, Vladimir Malakhov, and Jiří Kylián. He has been a member of the Ballett Zürich since last season, where he danced Prince Siegfried in Alexei Ratmansky's Swan Lake, among others.

Yannick Bittencourt is Swiss. He was born in Bern and he studied at the AS Ballettschule in Switzerland, the Opéra de Paris Ballet School and the Royal Ballet School in London. After an engagement with the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in New York, he became a member of the Paris Opera Ballet in 2007, where he was appointed demi-soloist (Sujet) in 2010. In Paris he has danced Prince Siegfried in Nureyev's Swan Lake, James in Pierre Lacotte's La Sylphide, Daphnis in Benjamin Millepieds Daphnis et Chloé, and Benvolio and Paris in Nureyev's Romeo and Juliet. He has also appeared in key roles in ballets by William Forsythe, John Neumeier, José Martinez, Serge Lifar, Wayne McGregor, and George Balanchine. He has performed in galas at the National Theatre Tokyo and the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre (Benois de la Danse Ceremony Gala). This is his first season as a member of the Ballett Zürich.

Friedemann Vogel wurde in Stuttgart geboren. Er absolvierte seine Ballettausbildung zunächst an der John Cranko Schule in Stuttgart und danach als Stipendiat des John Gilpin Fonds bei Marika Besobrasova an der Académie de Danse Classi­que «Princesse Grace» in Monte Carlo. Er war Preisträger zahlreicher internationaler Ballettwettbe­werbe. 1997 gewann er innerhalb eines Jahres den Prix de Lausanne, die Junior-­Gold­medaille beim Prix de Luxembourg und bei der Eurocity Competition in Italien, 1998 war er Gewinner der Jackson Competition in den USA. 1998 wurde Friedemann Vogel Mitglied des Stuttgarter Balletts, wo er 2002 zum Ersten Solisten ernannt wurde. In diesem Jahr gewann er auch den renommierten Erik-Bruhn-Preis. 2010 wurde er von der Zeitschrift tanz zum «Tänzer des Jahres» gewählt, 2012 wurde er mit dem italienischen «Danza&Danza Award» als «Bester Tänzer» ausgezeichnet. Sein Repertoire um­fasst die grossen klassischen Rollen ebenso wie Hauptrollen in Choreografien von Cranko, Balanchine, Robbins, Kylián, Neumeier, Forsythe und McGregor. Friedemann Vogel begleitet das Stuttgarter Ballett auf Tourneen in die ganze Welt. Als Solist gastierte er am Mariinsky-Theater in St. Petersburg, beim Bolschoi Ballett Moskau, an der Mailänder Scala, beim English National Ballet, dem National Ballet of China, dem Tokyo Ballet, dem Hong Kong Ballet, den Ballets de Santiago de Chile, dem Finnish National Ballet, dem Staats­ballett Berlin, dem Bayerischen Staatsballett, dem Ballett der Opera di Roma, dem Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper, dem Royal Swedish Ballet und dem Béjart Ballet Lausanne. Seit September 2014 ist Friedemann Vogel Gast­solist am Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg.

Wei Chen comes from the USA and received his education at the Boston Ballet School, the Margo Marshall School of Ballet, the Walnut Hill School, and the Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy. At the Royal Ballet of Flanders he danced in Marcia Haydées Swan Lake (Siegfried) and Sleeping Beauty (Prince Desiré) as well as in Cranko’s Onegin (Lensky). He has also appeared in choreographies by Balanchine, Bournonville, Dawson, Forsythe, Godani, McGregor, Nureyev, Pite, Stevenson, and Wheeldon. He has been a member of the Ballett Zürich since the 2012/13 season and has performed in choreographies by Douglas Lee, Jiří Kylián, Marco Goecke, Edward Clug, and Crystal Pite, among others. He also danced Romeo in Spuck’s Romeo and Juliet, Benno in Ratmansky's Swan Lake and Coppelius in Spuck’s Sandmann.

Francesca Dell'Aria comes from Italy. She received her training at the Elmhurst School and the Birmingham Royal Ballet. After an engagement with the Slowak National Ballet, she was a member of the Bavarian State Ballet from 2010 to 2014. She has belonged to the Ballett Zürich since the 2014/15 season, and has appeared in choreographies by William Forsythe (New Sleep, workwithinwork, In the middle), Jiří Kylián (Gods and Dogs, Falling Angels), George Balanchine, and Hans van Manen (Kammerballett). She appeared in the title role of Christian Spuck's Anna Karenina and danced in choreographies by Jacopo Godanis, Douglas Lee, Edward Clug, Marco Goecke, and Crystal Pite.

Italian-Argentinian dance Constanza Perotta Altube studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and at the Ballet School of Milan’s La Scala. After her first engagements in the ballet of the Teatro Colón and the Victor Ullate Ballet in Madrid, she has been a member of the Ballett Zürich since the 2009/10 season. Here she danced the Emerald Fairy in Mats Ek’s Sleeping Beauty and appeared in choreographies by William Forsythe (New Sleep, workwithinwork, In the middle) and Jiří Kylián (Falling Angels, Gods and Dogs).

Elena Vostrotina comes from St. Petersburg. She received her ballet education at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. In 2003 she became a member of the Mariinsky Ballet. There she danced among others Odette/Odile in Swan Lake (Petipa/Ivanov), Myrtha in Giselle (Coralli/Perrot), Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote (Gorsky) and in Approximate Sonata (Forsythe). In 2006 she was engaged by Aaron S. Watkin at the Semperoper Ballett Dresden. Here she was appointed principal dancer and danced a wide repertoire of classical, neoclassical, and modern ballets. She has collaborated with renowned choreographers and performed at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theater in Moscow, at the State Theater Novosibirsk, at the “Roberto Bolle and Friends” gala and at the Ballets Bubeníček. Elena Vostrotina has been a principal dancer at the Ballett Zürich since the 2017/18 season. Last season she appeared in Zurich as Odette/Odile in Ratmansky's Swan Lake reconstruction and as Witch/Helena of Troy in Edward Clug's Faust - The Ballet.

Filipe Portugal studied in Lisbon and, after his first engagement with the Portuguese National Ballet, was engaged by the Ballett Zürich in 2002. Here he danced solo roles in numerous choreographies by Heinz Spoerli (including Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Coppélia, Giselle and A Midsummer Night’s Dream). From 2009 to 2011 he was principal dancer at the Portuguese National Ballet. He returned to the Ballett Zürich in 2011 and has starred in numerous ballets by Christian Spuck, including Father Lorenzo in Romeo and Juliet, King Peter in Leonce and Lena, Doctor in Woyzeck, Karenin in Anna Karenina and Spalanzani in Der Sandmann. He has also appeared in choreographies by Mats Ek, Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, William Forsythe, Douglas Lee and Martin Schläpfer. Parallel to his dancing career, Filipe Portugal works successfully as a choreographer. Among his most recent works for the Ballett Zürich are Dialogos to the music of Swiss jazz musician Nik Bärtsch and disTANZ. He also choreographs for the Charlotte Ballet (USA) and the Stuttgart Noverre Society. In 2014 Filipe Portugal was awarded the Dance Prize of the Friends of Ballett Zürich.

Dominik Slavkovský is Slovak. After training at the Bratislava Dance Conservatory, he danced for five years in the ballet of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, most recently as a demi-soloist. He has been a member of the Ballett Zürich since the 2014/15 season. In choreographies by Christian Spuck he has appeared in the title role of Woyzeck, as Drosselmeier in Nutcracker and Mouse King, as Coppelius in Der Sandmann, and as Paris in Romeo and Juliet. He has also danced in choreographies by George Balanchine, Uwe Scholz, Alexei Ratmansky, Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Hans van Manen, Nacho Duato, Marco Goecke, Edward Clug, James Kudelka, Vladimir Malakhov, and many others. He showed his choreographies How to save the world and Conspiracy as a part of the Young Choreographers series.

Jesse Fraser was born in Saskatoon, Canada. He trained at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, and  became a member of the Stuttgart Ballet in 2010/11. There he danced in choreographies by Cranko, MacMillan, Spuck, Haydée, Neumeier, Béjart, Forsythe, Cherkaoui, Goecke, Clug, Volpi, and Stiens. He created the choreographies Back and Forth and Second Self(ie) as a part of the Young Choreographers of the Noverre Society series. Since the 2015/16 season he has been a member of the Ballett Zürich. He has appeared as Paris in Christian Spuck's Romeo and Juliet, as Lewin in Spuck's Anna Karenina, in Marco Goecke's Petrushka, and in choreographies by Jacopo Godani and Hans van Manen.

Mélissa Ligurgo comes from Belgium and studied at the Royal Ballet School in Antwerp. She danced in John Cranko’s Onegin (Tatiana), as well as in ballets by Forsythe, Kylián, Dawson, and Robbins, at the Royal Ballet of Flanders. At the Ballet Basel she performed in Preljocaj’s Romeo and Juliet (Juliet) in the 2011/12 season. Since the 2012/13 season she has belonged to the Ballett Zürich and has danced Lena in Leonce and Lena by Christian Spuck and Frau Mauserinks in Nutcracker and Mouse King. She has also appeared in choreographies by Wayne McGregor and Douglas Lee. As part of the Young Choreographers series, she presented Mind Games, Individuo and Klastos.

Alba Sempere Torres is Spanish. Trained at the Institut del Teatro in Barcelona and at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, she won the Castellón Ballet Competition and danced with the Vienna State Opera Ballet, the Berlin State Ballet, and, from 2004 to 2008 with the Bavarian State Ballet. She has appeared in choreographies by Jo Strømgren, Peter Wright, Jiří Kylián, Vladimir Malakhov, John Neumeier, and Mats Ek, among others. She has belonged to the Ballett Zürich since the 2014/15 season, weere she has been seen in choreographies by Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, George Balanchine, Patrice Bart, Martin Schläpfer, and Christian Spuck.

Jan Casier was born in Belgium. He studied at the Royal Ballet School in Antwerp. From 2008 to 2012 he was a member of the Royal Ballet of Flanders where he danced in ballets by John Cranko, William Forsythe, David Dawson, and Christian Spuck. He appeared in David Dawson's Faun(e) as a guest at the English National Ballet. From 2012 to 2014 he was a member of the Ballett Zürich, where he performed roles in numerous Christian Spuck ballets, including Leonce in Leonce and Lena, Paris in Romeo and Juliet, and the title role of Woyzeck. He also danced in choreographies by Edward Clug, Sol León/Paul Lightfoot, Marco Goecke, and Wayne McGregor. From 2014 to 2016 he was a member of the Semperoper Ballett Dresden. There he performed in choreographies by Aaron Watkins (Prince in The Nutcracker), William Forsythe, Alexei Ratmansky, David Dawson, and Alexander Ekman. In 2015 he appeared at the ballet gala in Taipei (Taiwan). He returned to the Ballett Zürich in 2016. Since his return, he has danced in Forsythe's Quintett, Godani’s rituals from another when and performed the title role of Faust - The Ballet by Edward Clug.

Matthew Knight is British. He completed his training at the Elmhurst School and the Royal Ballet School in London. After a season with the Junior Ballet, he joined the Ballett Zürich in the 2013/14 season. He presented works by Jane Doe and Mocambo as part of the Young Choreographers series. He has danced in choreographies by Mats Ek (Cavalier in Sleeping Beauty), William Forsythe, Marco Goecke (Moor in Petrushka), Jiří Kylián, Douglas Lee, Sol León/Paul Lightfoot, Hans van Manen, Wayne McGregor, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, and Filipe Portugal. He was Leonce in Christian Spuck's Leonce and Lena, Nathanael in Spuck's Sandmann and the Clown in Spuck's Nutcracker and Mouse King. In 2018 he also appeared as Faust in Edward Clug's ballet of the same name. In 2016 he was awarded the Dance Prize of the Friends of Ballett Zürich.

Lucas Valente comes from Brazil. He studied performing arts and philosophy at the University of São Paulo. He first danced in the Ballet Company Laura Alonso in Havana and was involved in the "Arsenale della Danza" project at the Venice Biennale in 2012. From 2012 to 2016 he danced in the São Paulo Companhia de Dança, where he appeared in choreographies by Edouard Lock, Marco Goecke, William Forsythe, Nacho Duato, and Jiří Kylián, among others. He danced in choreographies by Richard Siegal at the Ballet of Difference in 2017. He has been a member of the Ballett Zürich since last season. He presented his choreography Trees Die Standing as a part of the Young Choreographers series.

Mélanie Borel comes from France. She studied at the École Nationale Supérieure de Danse in Marseille and at the École de Danse de l'Opéra de Paris. Engagements have taken her to the Ballet de l'Opéra National de Bordeaux and, from 2005 to 2008, to the Peter Schaufuss Ballet in Denmark. She has been a member of the Ballett Zürich since the 2008/09 season and has performed as a soloist in choreographies by Twyla Tharp, Heinz Spoerli, and Mats Ek. She performed Spoerli choreographies at the Salzburg Festival in 2012. Recently she has danced in choreographies by Marco Goecke, Douglas Lee, Jiří Kylián, Wayne McGregor, and Martin Schläpfer. She was the Caretaker in Spuck's Leonce and Lena and danced the "Choleric" variation in Balanchine's The Four Temperaments.

Giulia Tonelli comes from Italy. She graduated from the Balletto di Toscana and the Ballet School of the Vienna State Opera. After her first engagement at the Vienna State Opera, she danced from 2002 to 2010 with the Royal Ballet of Flanders in Antwerp, and from 2004 as a demi-soloist. There she danced Giselle (Petipa) as well as solo roles in choreographies of Forsythe, Balanchine, Kylián, Haydée, and Spuck. She has been a member of the Ballett Zürich since the 2010/11 season, where she has performed ballets by Spoerli, Goecke, McGregor, Lee, Forsythe, Kylián, and Balanchine. She danced Juliet in Christian Spuck's Romeo and Juliet, Lena in Spuck's Leonce and Lena and Betsy in Anna Karenina. In Alexei Ratmansky's Swan Lake reconstruction she danced in the Pas de trois, and she also performed in Forsythe's Quintet and Spuck's Messa da Requiem. Last season's highlights include Emergence by Crystal Pite and Gretchen in Edward Clug's Faust - The Ballet. During the "Young Choreographers" presentation she performed the works Mind Games and Klastos together with Mélissa Ligurgo. In 2013 she was awarded the Giuliana Penzi Prize. In 2017 she received the Dance Prize of the Friends of Ballett Zürich.

Elizabeth Wisenberg comes from the USA. She studied at the Washington School of Ballet and the National Ballet School of Canada in Toronto. Her first engagement took her to the Boston Ballet from 2004 to 2006. She won a bronze medal at the Youth America Grand Prix in the junior division in 2001 and a silver medal at the National Youth Ballet Competition in 2003. In the 2006/07 season, she became a member of the Stuttgart Ballet, where she has danced as a demi-soloist since 2013. She has performed in choreographies by John Cranko (Olga in Onegin), Christian Spuck (Lena and School Master in Leonce and Lena), Demis Volpi (Kantorka in Krabat), John Neumeier, George Balanchine, Peter Schaufuss, Kenneth McMillan, Jiří Kylián, Marcia Haydée, and Marco Goecke. She has been a member of the Ballett Zürich since the 2015/16 season. She has appeared as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, as Clara in Der Sandmann and as Kitty and Dolly in Anna Karenina (all by Christian Spuck).

Michelle Willems is French. She studied at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and at the Atelier Rudra-Béjart in Lausanne. After two seasons with the Junior Ballet, she joined the Ballett Zürich in the 2016/17 season. After solo tasks in Giselle and Schwanensee she danced Kitty in Christian Spuck's Anna Karenina, Marie in Spuck's Nussknacker und Mausekönig as well as Gretchen in Edward Clug's Faust – Das Ballett. She has also performed choreographies by William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Marco Goecke, Crystal Pite and Filipe Portugal. In 2018 she received the «Dance Prize of the Friends of the Ballett Zürich».

Aurore Lissitzky comes from France. She received her training at the École Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower, at the Académie Princesse Gracea in Monte-Carlo and at the Ballet School of the Hamburg Ballet. In 2008 she won the gold medal at the Concours International de Grasse. Since 2012 she has danced in the Hamburg Ballet in numerous choreographies by John Neumeier. After a season with the Junior Ballet, she joined the Ballett Zürich last season, including in performances of Filipe Portugal’s Behind the Mirror.

Tigran Mkrtchyan comes from Armenia. He was trained at the Armenian Ballet School and at the Zurich Dance Academy. He was a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne. After two seasons with the Junior Ballet, he has been a member of the Ballett Zürich since the 2011/12 season. He has danced in choreographies by Heinz Spoerli, Jiří Kylián, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Sol León/Paul Lightfoot, George Balanchine, and Eric Gautier (Ballett 101). He has also appeared as Tybalt in Christian Spuck's Romeo and Juliet, as Stiva in Anna Karenina, as the Moor in Goecke's Petrushka and as the Prince in Ratmansky's Swan Lake. He presented his choreography The Rose that Grew from Concrete as a part of the Young Choreographers series. He was awarded the Dance Prize of the Friends of Ballett Zürich in 2017.

Emma Antrobus comes from Australia. She studied at the Lamont Dance Theatre, at the Conlan College in Sydney, and at the Ballett Akademie of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. She joined the Junior Ballet last season and danced in choreographies by Christian Spuck, Edward Clug, Crystal Pite, and Ohad Naharin.