Katja Wünsche

Katja Wünsche, originally from Dresden and raised in Berlin, began her dance training at the prestigious State Ballet School Berlin, where she completed her studies in 1999. During her time as a student, she already gained stage experience performing with the Corps de ballet of the State Opera Unter den Linden in productions such as Swan Lake (Patrice Bart, after Petipa/Ivanov) and The Sleeping Beauty (Rudolf Nureyev).

Her talent was recognized early through her success in international competitions. She was a semi-finalist at the 1997 Prix de Lausanne, and in 1998, she won second prize as well as the Swiss Television Award. In 1999, she was a finalist at the Austrian Dance Contest in Vienna and later that year took first place at the Eurovision Grand Prix for Young Dancers, performing alongside Yohan Stegli.

Following her graduation, Wünsche joined the Stuttgart Ballet in the 1999/2000 season. She advanced through the ranks, becoming a Demi-Soloist in 2002, Soloist in 2003, and was named Principal Dancer at the start of the 2006/07 season.

Her extensive repertoire includes a wide range of leading roles in classical and contemporary works. Notable performances include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and leading roles in Onegin, The Taming of the Shrew, Giselle, and Don Quixote. She has also taken on complex characters such as Manon Lescaut and Prudence in The Lady of the Camellias, Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Columbina in Pierrot Lunaire.

Throughout her career, Katja Wünsche has inspired numerous contemporary choreographers who created roles specifically for her. Among them are Christian Spuck, Mauro Bigonzetti, Marco Goecke, Marguerite Donlon, Nicolo Fonte, Itzik Galili, Kevin O'Day, and Marc Spradling.