Following a performance of John Cranko’s ballet classic “Onegin,” Avraam, who played the role of Tatiana, was appointed First Soloist by ballet director Martin Schläpfer, the Vienna State Opera said in a statement on Tuesday.
“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,” said Schläpfer.
Among others, she also 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”.
Ioanna Avraam was born in Nicosia (Cyprus). She was educated at the Nadina Loizidou Ballet School in Limassol as well as at the Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung/Ballet Academy in Munich,Germany. She gave her first performances with Diastasis Ballet in Cyprus and with the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Germany. In 2008 she joined the Vienna State Opera Ballet. In 2010 she was appointed Demi-Soloist and in 2014 she was announced Soloist.
Her large Repertory comprises the title role in Elena Tschernischova’s „Giselle“, the title role in Michael Corder’s “The Snowqween”, Boris Eifman’s “Giselle Rouge”, Julliete in Davide Bombana’s “Romeo and Julliete”, the title role in John Neumaier’s “Pavillon d’Armide” as Armide/Romola, the title role in Roland Petit’s L’ Arlesienne as Vivette. She danced the leading roles of classical, neoclassical and modern ballets choreographed by MacMillan,Cranko,Lacotte,Bournoville,Tschabukiani,Dawson,Forsythe,Neumeier,Kylian,Lightfoot,Leon,Legris,Elo,DeBana,Wheeldon,Lifar to name just a few. Roles such as Gulnara in “Le Corsaire” ,Marie Gräfin Larisch in “Mayerling”,Lescaut’s lover in “Manon”, Helena in “Midsummer Night’s,Clémence in “Raymonda”, Pas de Cinq in “Swan Lake”,Kitri’s friend in “Don Quixote”,Luisa in “Nutcracker”,Madame Elisabeth in “Marie Antoinette” ,Princess Louisa in “Mayerling”,Zulmea in “Le Corsaire”,Gipsy in “Romeo and Julia ,Ingrid the Bride in “Peer Gynt” ,Madame d’Ora in “ Ein Reigen” ,Small Swan in “ Swanlake”.
She danced the main roles in“Flower festival in Genzano”,“La Sylphide” pas de deux,“La Vivandiere” pas de six,“Napoli” pas de six,“La Bayadere” pas de deux from 1st Act,“Skew-Whiff”,“A Million kisses to my Skin”,“The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude”,“The Second Detail” ,“Fools Paradise”,“Suite en blanc”,“Vier letzte Lieder,“Bella Figura”,“Before Nightfall”,“Bach Suit III”,“Le Sacre”,“Blaubart’s Geheimnis”,“Mozart a 2″,“The FourSeasons”,“Murmuration”,”Concerto”and many more.She danced as a gueat dancer in many European counries and overseas.