Renato Zanella

Italian ballet dancer, choreographer and director, he studied classical ballet at the Centre de Danse International Rosella Hightower in Cannes before becoming dancer and later choreographer for the Basel and the Stuttgart Ballets. He was appointed ballet director and resident choreographer of the Vienna State Opera (1995-2005) where later he became ballet school director (2001-2005). During 2005-2011 he worked as a freelance artist on a global scale. He has served as director of the GNO Ballet (2011-2015), Arena di Verona (2013-2015) and Bucharest National Ballet (2016-2018), at The Choreo Center Europe in Austria since 2018 and the Festival inDanza since 2020. In January 2021 he was appointed ballet artistic director at the Slovenian National Opera and Ballet (Ljubljana). He has choreographed ballets for operas and more than a hundred ballets for major ballet companies, festivals and television, worldwide. He serves as juror for international dance competitions and has received numerous international awards. In 2010, the President of the Austrian Republic bestowed upon him the title of Professor for his career and social activities in Austria and abroad.