Ioanna Avraam – New first soloist

Following yesterday's performance of John Cranko's ballet classic »Onegin«, soloist Ioanna Avraam, who shone that evening as the much acclaimed Tatiana, was appointed First Soloist by ballet director Martin Schläpfer on the open stage of the Vienna State Opera. »Ioanna Avraam has developed into an outstanding dancer personality and creates the role of Tatiana with a fascinating intimacy and credibility, danced at the highest technical level. For me, this makes her one of the best, and it is a great pleasure to appoint her First Soloist of the Vienna State Ballet,« says Martin Schläpfer, explaining the advancement. Ioanna Avraam is overwhelmed: »I am very happy and very grateful to Martin Schläpfer that he trusts me and promotes me. I will do my best and I am really looking forward to everything that is to come.«

On 3 October you can see Ioanna Avraam once again alongside Eno Peci (Onegin) as Tatiana. She will be seen as the Lilac Fairy in Martin Schläpfer's premiere production of »Sleeping Beauty« at the Vienna State Opera from 7 November.

Ioanna Avraam was born in Nicosia (Cyprus). She received her training at the Nadina Loizidou Ballet School in Limassol and at the Heinz Bosl Foundation/Ballet Academy in Munich. First performances followed with the Diastasis Ballet in Cyprus and the Bavarian State Ballet. In 2008 she was engaged by the Vienna State Opera and Volksoper Ballet, in 2010 she advanced to semi-soloist of the Vienna State Ballet, in 2014 to soloist and in 2022 to first soloist.

Her extensive repertoire includes the title roles in Elena Tschernischowa's »Giselle« and Boris Eifman's »Giselle Rouge«, Tatiana in John Cranko's »Onegin«, Juliet in Davide Bombana's »Roméo et Juliette« or Kitri's girlfriend in Rudolf Nureyev's »Don Quixote«. She danced Helena in Jorma Elo's »A Midsummer Night's Dream« as well as in Nureyev's »Swan Lake«, »Raymonda« and »The Nutcracker«, in Peter Wright's »Sleeping Beauty«, Kenneth MacMillan's »Mayerling« and »Manon«, Manuel Legris' »Le Corsaire«, Roland Petit's »L'Arlésienne«, John Neumeier's »Le Pavillon d'Armide« and Edward Clug's »Peer Gynt«. Other important names in their repertoire include George Balanchine, August Bournonville, David Dawson, Patrick de Bana, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Sol León & Paul Lightfoot, Serge Lifar, Thierry Malandain, Antony McDonald & Ashley Page, Alexei Ratmansky, Jerome Robbins, Martin Schläpfer, Stephan Thoss, Rudi van Dantzig and Christopher Wheeldon.