Zenia Tàtcheva

Zenia Tàtcheva received her professional dance training at the University of Cape Town Ballet School and was named the South African Ballet Award Outright Winner in1993. Initiating her career upon graduation through engagements with the Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB) and the Performing Arts Council of Transvaal Ballet Company (PACT Ballet), Zenia later relocated to Australia, joining Queensland Ballet after a guest appearance with the Company.

Her repertoire with the above-mentioned organisations encompassed principal roles in most of the celebrated classics, including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Don Quixote, Paquita, The Nutcracker, La Sylphide, Papillon, Napoli, and Les Sylphides, as well as numerous works by renowned choreographers of modern times.

Parallel to her dancing career, Zenia has been actively engaged as a guest teacher and coach for diverse organisations in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Her expertise is further recognised by her service as an adjudicator for several national and international ballet competitions.

Following her retirement from the stage, Zenia joined the Academy of Queensland Ballet as a classical coach, where she was involved in the training of students across all Academy levels, with her main focus on the training and curriculum development in the senior and graduating levels. In 2020, she stepped into the leadership role of Head of the Pre-Professional Program and in 2022, by the invitation of Artistic Director Li Cunxin, Zenia was appointed Ballet Mistress for Queensland Ballet, a distinguished position she held for the following three years.

During her time as Ballet Mistress, Zenia was involved in the coaching and staging of works by celebrated chorographers, including Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Ben Stevenson OBE, Derek Dean OBE, Greg Horsman, Paul Boyd, Natalie Weir, Cathy Marston, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Liam Scarlett, as well as many other works present in the Company’s diverse repertoire.

Driven by deep passion for developing the next generation of young dancers, in 2025, Zenia returned to the Academy of Queensland Ballet in a new role as Academy Ballet Mistress.