Master Dance Teacher '25

Vanja a is a former professional ballet dancer from Slovenia, where she graduated from the Conservatory of Ballet in Ljubljana. At just 17 years old, she was already performing leading roles in the theater, including the title role in Giselle. Vanja’s passion for ballet grew enormously, inspiring her to deepen and expand her knowledge by studying at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, where she graduated in 2003. After that, she became a member of the Semperoper Ballet under the direction of Aaron Watkin, where she danced for 11 seasons. During this time, she developed as a versatile artist, performing in both classical and contemporary works. Throughout her years at the Semperoper, she learned how to combine contemporary and classical ballet techniques and discovered how beneficial it is for a dancer to master both. After 11 seasons, she returned to Slovenia and danced for another six years at the National Theatre of Maribor. During her professional career, she had the opportunity to work with renowned choreographers and artists such as William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Johan Inger, Ji?í Kylián, David Dawson, Alexei Ratmansky, Edward Clug, John Neumeier, Stijn Celis, Alexander Ekman, Aaron Watkin, Mauro Bigonzetti, Jean Christophe Maillot, Cynthia Harvey, Yvan Dubreuil, Cora Bos-Kroese, Patrick Delcroix, Yoshifumi Inao, Agnes Noltenius, Stefanie Arndt, Ana Catalina Roman, Urtzi Aranburu, Judith Fugate, Roslyn Anderson, and Patricia Neary. For the past five years, Vanja has dedicated herself to teaching, recognizing the immense value of the knowledge and experience she gained throughout her performing career. 

Wanting to grow further and become the kind of teacher she aspires to be, her curiosity led her to pursue a Master’s degree in Dance Teaching at Palucca University. There, she was awarded the Deutschlandstipendium and graduated in June 2025. Vanja is proud to say that her extensive professional experience, combined with completing the Master’s program in ‘Dance Teacher’, has provided her with a wealth of new tools and insights. She encourages everyone who wishes to learn how to effectively transfer their knowledge to students to consider joining this program. The program not only deepens one’s understanding of teaching methodologies but also broadens the approach to pedagogy and dance technique. Entering the program with over 20 years of professional experience and training in various style, including the Vaganova method at the John Cranko School, Vanja discovered how much more there is to learn in the world of dance pedagogy. She found that the program offers countless tools and perspectives that help teachers expand their thinking, refine their methods, and adapt their knowledge to students of all levels and ages. An important focus of the program is dancer health, nurturing not only strong technique but also a healthy mind and body. As both a graduate and a teacher, Vanja strives to develop dancers who are well-rounded, technically skilled, versatile, and mindful. She fully supports and highly recommends this program to teachers already working in the field, as well as to dancers, both young and experienced, who wish to grow in their art. She feels deeply grateful for the opportunity to have studied in this program, to have been recognized with the Deutschlandstipendium, and to have discovered new paths for her future development. Through her experiences, she continues to shape herself into the teacher she aspires to be, equipped with the right tools, insight, and passion to guide the next generation of dancers.

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