Andonis Foniadakis was born on the Greek island of Crete. He studied at the Greek National School of Dance in Athens and won a Maria Callas Scholarship to study at the Rudra-Bejart School in Lausanne. As a dancer, he performed with the Bejart Ballet Lausanne, the Ballet of the Opéra de Lyon, and Saburo Teshigawara/KARAS. In the 2016/17 season, he was Artistic Director of the Greek National Ballet and currently serves as the ensemble’s resident choreographer. In 2003, he founded his own dance company “Apotosoma,” with which he toured throughout Europe and the United States. He has created choreographies for renowned international companies, including the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Sydney Dance Company, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, the Geneva Ballet, the Ballet of the Opéra de Lyon, Ballet Jazz de Montreal, Aterballetto, Ballet du Rhin, Compañía Nacional de Danza Madrid, the Rambert Dance Company, the Royal Ballet of Flanders, the Sao Paolo Dance Company, the Benjamin Millepied Dance Company, the Washington Ballet, the Israel Ballet, and the Bejart Ballet Lausanne. Recent works include “Primal Light” and “Death and the Maiden” for Tanz Kassel, “Circumstellars” for the Philadelphia Ballet, “Selon Desir” for Introdans, “Far Side” for Ballet Basel, “Strangelove” for the Hong Kong Ballet, “Almyra” for Gauthier Dance, “Troja/Troy” for the Ballet of the Theater am Gärtnerplatz Munich, and “Ikarus” for the Ballet Hanover. Andonis Foniadakis has received, among others, the Italian Danza/Danza Award and was most recently honored as “Choreographer of the Year” in the critics’ poll of the German “Tanznetz.” In 2026, he will choreograph, among others, for Acosta Danza in Havana and, for the first time, for Ballet Zurich.
Choreography by Andonis Foniadakis
Andonis Foniadakis
Anastasios Sofroniou
The German-born, Paris-based Greek fashion entrepreneur and costume designer Anastasios-Tassos Sofroniou began his career as a fashion editor in Athens before moving to London, where he collaborated with stylist and fashion director Isabella Blow (Vogue) and photographers such as Richard Avedon, David LaChapelle, and Mario Testino for publications including "The Face," "Interview US," "British GQ," "Elle," and "Sunday Times Style." In 2010, he founded his contemporary menswear brand "Conquistador," followed by the creative agency "StudioSTOUTT" in 2022. Since 2011, Anastasios Sofroniou has been teaching at leading universities for fashion design and fashion management, including Polimoda (Florence), ModArt, and EIML (Paris). Since 2011, he has also been designing costumes for contemporary dance and opera. In collaboration with choreographer Andonis Foniadakis, he has created numerous productions for renowned companies such as the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Maurice Béjart Ballet, the Geneva Ballet, the Hong Kong Ballet, Gauthier Dance, Cedar Lake NY, the Sydney Dance Company, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, the State Ballet Hanover, Tanz Kassel, the Opera Florence, and Rambert Dance.
Martin Gebhardt
Martin Gebhardt was lighting designer and Head of Lighting for John Neumeier’s Hamburg Ballet. From 2002 onward he collaborated with Heinz Spoerli and the Ballett Zürich. Ballet productions of both companies took him to renowned theatres across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. At Zurich Opera House he created the lighting design for productions by Jürgen Flimm, David Alden, Jan Philipp Gloger, Grischa Asagaroff, Matthias Hartmann, David Pountney, Moshe Leiser/Patrice Caurier, Damiano Michieletto, and Achim Freyer. At the Salzburg Festival he designed the lighting for "La bohème" and for a new version of Spoerli’s "Der Tod und das Mädchen". Since the 2012/13 season Martin Gebhardt has been Head of Lighting at Zurich Opera House. He maintains a close collaboration with choreographer Christian Spuck (including "Winterreise", "Nussknacker und Mausekönig", "Messa da Requiem", "Anna Karenina", "Woyzeck", "Der Sandmann", "Leonce und Lena", "Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern"). He has also worked as lighting designer for choreographers Edward Clug (including "Strings", "Le Sacre du printemps" and "Faust" in Zurich), Alexei Ratmansky, Wayne McGregor, Marco Goecke, and Douglas Lee. He collaborated with Christoph Marthaler and Anna Viebrock on Handel’s "Sale" and Rossini’s "Il viaggio a Reims" in Zurich as well as on "Lulu" at the Hamburg State Opera, and with Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito at the Grand Théâtre de Genève for "Les Huguenots". In 2023 he designed the lighting for Spuck’s ballet "Bovary" at the Staatsballett Berlin and in 2024 for Rossini’s "Tancredi" at the Bregenz Festival. He was also the lighting designer for Cathy Marston’s "Atonement" at Zurich Opera House.
Michael Küster
Michael Küster is from Germany. After studying German studies, art, and speech science at the University of Halle, he worked as a presenter, author, and speaker at various broadcasting stations in Germany. There, he hosted numerous classical music programs and live broadcasts of major concert events, including those from the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Semperoper Dresden, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus.
Since 2002, he has been a dramaturg at the Zurich Opera House, working with directors such as Matthias Hartmann, David Alden, Robert Carsen, Moshe Leiser/Patrice Caurier, Damiano Michieletto, David Pountney, Johannes Schaaf, and Graham Vick.
As dramaturg of Ballett Zürich, Michael Küster has collaborated since 2012 with Cathy Marston, Marco Goecke, Marcos Morau, Kim Brandstrup, Edward Clug, Alexei Ratmansky, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, and Hans van Manen. Together with Christian Spuck, he worked on productions including «Winterreise» («Prix Benois de la Danse»), «Romeo and Juliet», «Messa da Requiem», and «The Sleeping Beauty».
At La Scala in Milan, Michael Küster was dramaturg for Matthias Hartmann’s opera productions of «Der Freischütz», «Idomeneo», and «The Queen of Spades».
Cast
Nancy Osbaldeston
Nancy Osbaldeston holds both Belgian and British citizenship. She completed her dance training at the English National Ballet School in London. In 2008, she joined the English National Ballet, where she was awarded the «Emerging Dance Award» in 2013. In 2014, she moved to the Royal Ballet of Flanders, where she was promoted to principal dancer. She was regularly a guest performer with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich and later danced at the Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse.
Her repertoire includes leading roles in choreographies by Yuri Grigorovich (Aegina in «Spartacus»), John Neumeier (Marie in «The Nutcracker»), Akram Khan («Giselle»), Kader Belarbi (Kitri in «Don Quixote»), and Pina Bausch («Café Müller»). Additionally, she has appeared in works by George Balanchine, Ohad Naharin, Jiří Kylián, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and Andonis Foniadakis.
Since the 2024/25 season, she has been principal dancer at Ballett Zürich. Here, she danced leading roles in choreographies by Cathy Marston («Clara», Cecilia in «Atonement», «Mrs. Robinson»), Patrice Bart («Giselle»), William Forsythe («In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated»), Kenneth MacMillan («Concerto»), and Bryan Arias («Colorful Darkness»).
Esteban Berlanga
Esteban Berlanga is from Spain. After his training at the Royal Conservatory of Albacete and the Professional Dance Conservatory of Madrid, he danced with the English National Ballet from 2006 to 2013. There, he was promoted to principal dancer in 2012. Among other roles, he danced Prince Siegfried in Derek Dean’s «Swan Lake», the prince in Kenneth MacMillan’s «The Sleeping Beauty», Albrecht in Mary Skeaping’s «Giselle», the Nutcracker in Wayne Eagling’s choreography, and Frédéric in Roland Petit’s «L’Arlésienne». For David Dawson’s «Faun(e)», he was nominated for the «Benois de la Danse». From 2013 to 2018, he was principal dancer at the Compañia Nacional de Danza de España. Since the 2018/19 season, he has been a member of Ballett Zürich, and since 2022, a principal dancer. He appeared in the title role of Marco Goecke’s «Nijinski» and danced leading roles in choreographies by Christian Spuck (including «The Sleeping Beauty»; «Anna Karenina») and Cathy Marston («The Cellist»; «Snowblind»).
In 2024, he received the «Dance Prize of the Friends of Ballett Zürich».
Breanna Foad
Breanna Foad is Australian. From 2018 to 2025, she danced with English National Ballet. There, she performed leading roles in choreographies by Mats Ek, Johan Inger, and Andrea Miller. She also appeared in works by Akram Khan, William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, Derek Deane, and Arielle Smith. In 2024, she won the «English National Opera’s Emerging Dancer Competition». Since the 2025/26 season, she has been a member of Ballett Zürich.
Kilian Smith
Kilian Smith holds British and Irish citizenship. He danced at the National Ballet of Portugal in choreographies by Fernando Duarte and Akram Khan. During his engagement with the Polish National Ballet, he performed in Wayne McGregor’s «Infra» as well as the roles of Mercutio («Romeo and Juliet»), Trinculo («The Tempest»), and Renfield («Dracula») by Krzysztof Pastor. Since the 2023/24 season, Kilian Smith has been a member of the Ballett Zürich.
Nehanda Péguillan
Nehanda Péguillan holds French and South African citizenship. She received her dance training in Johannesburg and at the Pôle National Supérieur de Danse Rosella Hightower in Cannes. With Cannes Jeune Ballet, she performed in choreographies by Jean-Christophe Maillot, Carolyn Carlson, and Thierry Malandin. In 2023, she danced in the Dutch company De Theater BV’s production of «Nureyev». After one season in the Junior Ballet, she has been a member of the Ballett Zürich since the 2024/25 season. Here, she has performed in choreographies by Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Cathy Marston, and Wayne McGregor.
Brandon Lawrence
Brandon Lawrence is from Great Britain. He received his ballet training at the Royal Ballet School. From 2011 to 2023, he danced with Birmingham Royal Ballet, serving as Principal Dancer since 2019. Important roles included the Prince («The Nutcracker»), Franz («Coppélia»), Prince Florimund («The Sleeping Beauty»), Prince Siegfried («Swan Lake») in choreographies by Peter Wright; Romeo in Kenneth MacMillan’s «Romeo and Juliet»; Colas in Frederick Ashton’s «La Fille mal gardée»; the Prince («Cinderella»), Beast («The Beauty and the Beast»), Albrecht («Giselle») and Otello («Shakespeare Suite») in choreographies by David Bintley.
He also performed in works by Carlos Acosta, Edward Clug, Jiří Kylián, Juliano Nunes, Twyla Tharp, and Uwe Scholz. Since the 2023/24 season, Brandon Lawrence has been Principal Dancer at Ballett Zürich and has danced leading roles in choreographies by Cathy Marston («Atonement», «The Cellist», «Snowblind», «Clara»), Marco Goecke, Wayne McGregor, Bronislava Nijinska, Mthuthuzeli November, Jerome Robbins, Christian Spuck, Kenneth MacMillan, Bryan Arias, William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, and Kim Brandstrup.
In 2025, he received the «Dance Prize of the Friends of Ballett Zürich».
Alyssa Pratt
Alyssa Pratt is American. She trained at the Dance Institute Austin and the Houston Ballet Academy. From 2021 to 2023, she was a member of Houston Ballet II and already performed in productions of the Houston Ballet. After two seasons in the Junior Ballet, she is dancing this season as a guest with the Ballett Zürich. She has appeared in choreographies by Cathy Marston, George Balanchine, Marco Goecke, Patrice Bart, and Jerome Robbins.
Wei Chen
Wei Chen is from the USA and trained at Boston Ballet School, Margo Marshall’s School of Ballet, Walnut Hill School, and Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy. At the Royal Ballet of Flanders, he danced Siegfried in Marcia Haydée’s «Swan Lake» and Prince Désiré in «The Sleeping Beauty», as well as Lenski in Cranko’s «Onegin». He has also performed in choreographies by Balanchine, Bournonville, Dawson, Forsythe, Godani, McGregor, Nureyev, Pite, Stevenson, and Wheeldon. Since the 2013/14 season, he has been a member of Ballett Zürich, performing in works by Douglas Lee, Jiří Kylián, Marco Goecke, Edward Clug, William Forsythe, and Crystal Pite. He also danced Romeo and Mercutio in Christian Spuck’s «Romeo and Juliet», Benno in Ratmansky’s «Swan Lake», Coppelius in Spuck’s «Sandmann», Albrecht in Patrice Bart’s «Giselle», and the Cello in Cathy Marston’s «The Cellist». In 2023, he received the «Dance Prize of the Friends of Ballett Zürich».
Caroline Perry
Caroline Perry is from the USA. She trained at the Houston Ballet Academy and Houston Ballet II. In her first engagement with Houston Ballet, she danced in choreographies by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Kenneth MacMillan, Ben Stevenson, Stanton Welch, and Christopher Wheeldon. From 2022 to 2024, she was a member of Cincinnati Ballet, where she performed in choreographies by Jiří Kylián, Alejandro Cerrudo, William Forsythe, Peter Chu, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Cathy Marston. Since the 2024/25 season, Caroline Perry has been a member of the Ballett Zürich. Here, she appeared in Bryan Arias’ «Colorful Darkness», Wayne McGregor’s «Infra», and William Forsythe’s «In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated».
Jesse Fraser
Jesse Fraser was born in Saskatoon, Canada. Trained at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, he joined Stuttgart Ballet in the 2010/11 season. There, he danced in choreographies by Cranko, MacMillan, Spuck, Haydée, Neumeier, Béjart, Forsythe, Cherkaoui, Goecke, Clug, Volpi, and Stiens. He also created his own choreographic works as part of the Noverre Society’s «Young Choreographers» series.
Since the 2015/16 season, he has been a member of Ballett Zürich. Among other roles, he has appeared as Paris in Christian Spuck’s «Romeo and Juliet», Hilarion in Patrice Bart’s «Giselle», the Stag in Edward Clug’s «Peer Gynt», and in choreographies by William Forsythe, Jacopo Godani, Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, Cathy Marston, Marcos Morau, Crystal Pite, and Bryan Arias.
Inna Bilash
Inna Bilash is from Ukraine. She completed her ballet training at Kharkov Choreographic School, Perm State Choreographic College, and Perm State Academy of Arts and Culture. She was a soloist with Ballet Perm, where she danced Julia in Kenneth MacMillan’s «Romeo and Juliet», Odette/Odile in Natalia Makrova’s «Swan Lake», Giselle in the choreography by Perrot/Coralli/Petipa, the Bride in Jiří Kylián’s «Les Noces», and Masha in MacMillan’s «Winter Dreams». She also performed solo roles in choreographies by Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, and Douglas Lee. She won the Arabesque competition in Perm and the Bolshoi Ballet TV competition. In 2017, she received the «Soul of Dance» award from the ballet magazine. Since the 2018/19 season, Inna Bilash has been a member of Ballett Zürich and appeared as Briony in Cathy Marston’s «Atonement» and in the title role of Patrice Bart’s «Giselle». In 2024, she received the «Dance Prize of the Friends of Ballett Zürich».
Sean Bates
Sean Bates is from the United Kingdom and studied at the Royal Ballet School. He danced with Northern Ballet under the direction of David Nixon and performed in numerous leading roles, including Jay Gatsby in «The Great Gatsby», Romeo in «Romeo and Juliet», and Puck in «A Midsummer Night’s Dream».
After working with Cathy Marston on «Jane Eyre» and «Victoria», he joined Ballett Zürich at the beginning of the 2023/24 season. Here, he has appeared in soloist roles including Marco Goecke’s «Nijinski», Kenneth MacMillan’s «Concerto», as Denis in Cathy Marston’s «Snowblind», and as Bargiel in «Clara».
He has taught at Cape Town City Ballet as well as at various summer schools in the UK, and continues to coach dancers in his free time.
Daniela Gómez Pérez
Daniela Gómez Pérez is from Cuba. She studied at the Fernando Alonso National Ballet School and the Instituto Superior de Arte de Cuba. From 2015 to 2023, she was Principal Dancer at the Cuban National Ballet. Under Alicia Alonso’s direction, she danced leading roles in «Coppélia», «Giselle», «Swan Lake», and «The Nutcracker». She also appeared in choreographies by Peter Quanz, Brian McDonald, George Balanchine, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Cathy Marston, Ricardo Amarante, Alexei Ratmansky, Uwe Scholz, Ben Stevenson, Mikhail Fokine, and Gemma Bond. For her interpretation of Daniel Proietto’s «Cigne», she was entered into the Golden Book of the Gran Teatro de La Habana. Since the 2023/24 season, she has been a member of Ballett Zürich.
Dustin True
Dustin True is from the USA. After training at the School of American Ballet, he performed with Dutch National Ballet Amsterdam, Ballet Dortmund, and Los Angeles Ballet. He danced solo roles in «Swan Lake», «Sleeping Beauty», «Giselle», and «Romeo and Juliet», and appeared as a soloist in choreographies by David Dawson, George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Christian Spuck, Justin Peck, Benjamin Millepied, Jacopo Godani, Jiří Kylián, Mauro Bigonzetti, and Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa. Since the 2023/24 season, he has been a member of the Ballett Zürich. Here, he appeared in numerous choreographies by Cathy Marston as well as in William Forsythe’s «In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated», Wayne McGregor’s «Infra», and Jerome Robbins’ «Glass Pieces».
Harry Ashton-Ireland
Harry Ashton-Ireland holds both New Zealand and British citizenship. He received his dance training at the Philippa Campbell School of Ballet and the Dutch National Ballet Academy of Dance. From 2023 to 2025, he danced with the Bavarian Junior Ballet in Munich, where he performed in choreographies by Marco Goecke, Pina Bausch, Christopher Wheeldon, Jiří Kylián, John Cranko, and Patrice Bart.
Since the 2025/26 season, he has been a member of the Junior Ballet.
Wesley Cloud
Wesley Cloud is from the United States. He received his training at the American Ballet Theatre School and the Juilliard School in New York.
Since the 2024/25 season, he has been a member of the Junior Ballet. He has performed in choreographies by Cathy Marston, Bryan Arias, Crystal Pite, Kenneth MacMillan, and Patrice Bart.