Vesna Orlić
The choreographer and ballet master Vesna Orlić, born in Belgrade, received her education in her hometown at the ballet school Lujo Davico. Her first engagement as a dancer led her to the National Theatre Sarajevo from 1985 to 1987. In 1987, she joined the Ballet of the Volksoper Vienna, in 1995 she was promoted to demi-soloist. From 2005 to 2008, she was demi-soloist of the Ballet of the Vienna State Opera and Volksoper. Her major successes as a dancer include Swanilda in »Coppélia«, »Tausendundeine Nacht« and the title role in »Katharina Schratt«, all in the choreography by Susanne Kirnbauer, as well as the main role in Iván Markós’ »Bolero«.
Her expertise implicated her appointment to assistant of the ballet master in 2006, and to rehearsal director and ballet master of the Ballet of the Vienna State Opera and Volksoper in 2008. At the Vienna State Ballet she was ballet master and Deputy Artistic Director in the Volksoper Vienna during the era of Manuel Legris from 2010 to 2020. Since the 2020/21 season she has been 1st ballet master of this company. From her activities outside the house her choreographic assistance for Iván Markó at the Bayreuth Festival is to mention.
In 2006, Vesna Orlić made her debut as a choreographer with »Buenos Aires Hora Cero« (music: Astor Piazzolla) in choreo.lab 06 – an event of the Ballettclub of the Vienna State Opera & Volksoper, followed by »Parfum« (music: Gotan Project) and »Broken Wings« (music: Sacred Spirit). For her successful choreographic debut with the Vienna State Ballet, »Carmina Burana« (music: Carl Orff) in the Volksoper Vienna, Vesna Orlić received the Austrian prize for musical theatre »Goldener Schikaneder« in 2013. There followed other ballets such as »Out of Tango« (music: Helmut Hödl), »Tausendundeine Nacht« (music: Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow) and »Tango Amor« as well as ballet interludes for »Viva la Mamma« and several Christmas Concerts at the Volksoper Vienna, »Der Freischütz« at the Vienna State Opera and New Year’s Concerts of the Volksoper Symphony Orchestra in Japan. Her first full length ballet »Peter Pan« (music: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner et al.), premiered in 2019 at the Volksoper Vienna, was awarded with the Austrian prize for musical theatre in the category »total production ballet« in 2020. Another of Vesna Orlić’s awards includes the »VIP Poziva« Prize 2013 for successful Serbian artists abroad.
