Katja, you are currently in a professional transition. What inspired you to do this and what challenges and opportunities have you experienced in your transition?
The inspiration for this step came from the change of ballet directorship at Zurich Opera House and the practical consideration that it was time to take the next step. After 23 years of intensive work as a professional ballet dancer in artistic institutions, it was time to look for new perspectives and challenges – also in the knowledge that an active stage career as a ballet dancer is naturally limited in time. It was also important for me to make this transition in a conscious and self-determined way before external circumstances made the decision for me.
What skills or experiences from your dance career can you use in your new professional field?
In my career, I have developed many skills that will help me a lot in my new career path. Discipline and perseverance are particularly important – both of which I have learnt through years of training and daily work. When working with many different choreographers, dancers often have to react quickly, constantly adapt to new challenges and remain focussed and motivated at all times. They not only have to be physically but also mentally resilient, as the work often takes place under high pressure and expectation. At the same time, teamwork is very important – a production only works if everyone pulls together, can rely on each other and find solutions together. I want to take this experience and attitude with me into my new job.
How do you see your professional future? Are there any special projects or visions that you are pursuing?
I am currently in the process of building a new professional base for myself – curious, open and with the desire to combine my experience from the world of dance in a meaningful way. I am currently studying at the University of Zurich and at the same time I continue to work artistically, for example in the rehearsal of international ballet productions by Christian Spuck. In addition, I have already gained experience in a private bank in the field of communication and events – an exciting insight into a completely different world. In the long term, I see myself at the interface between art, organisation and communication. I would like to work in an environment that combines creativity with structure and where I can help shape, network and contribute my experience.
Katja Wünsche was first soloist at the Zurich Ballet for many years. Katja grew up in Berlin and trained at the Berlin State Ballet School, from which she graduated in 1999. She was already a member of the corps de ballet at the Staatsoper during her school years. She joined the corps de ballet of the Stuttgart Ballet at the beginning of the 1999/2000 season, became a semi-soloist in the 2002/03 season, a soloist in 2003/04 and first soloist in the 2006/07 season. When choreographer Christian Spuck took over as director of the Zurich Ballet in the 2012/13 season, she moved with him from Stuttgart to Zurich. She ended her dancing career there at the end of the 2022/23 season. She has been studying for an Executive Master’s in Art Administration at the University of Zurich since the autumn semester of 2023.
Press review
«Einst erfolgreiche Balletttänzerin, muss sie wieder bei null anfangen»
Tagesanzeiger, 31.03.2025