Viki trained at The Royal Ballet School and The Hammond School of Dancing before joining London Festival Ballet at the age of 17. She danced there for 7 years before moving to Northern Ballet Theatre where she became a principal, dancing and creating many major roles. After retiring from the stage Viki worked as Events Manager for Northern Ballet, then followed her heart into teaching, guesting at many of the top vocational schools in the UK and also in Italy. She now teaches on the graduate programme at Northern Ballet Academy, has her own Pilates Studio at Chatsworth and also writes and reviews for dance magazines.
Vikki Jane Vile has been reviewing dance for over ten years, specialising in Ballroom and Ballet. In 2018, she became a member of the Critics' Circle for Dance. Vikki writes for BroadwayWorld and previously Dancing Times, LondonDance.com and CultureWhisper. She also prides herself on being a Strictly Come Dancing connoisseur since its inception and has appeared on BBC radio and several podcasts as an expert on all things Strictly. Having lived in London for ten years, she is now based in Germany and adapting to the Berlin dance scene.
Vito Lentini is Professor of Philosophy and Human Sciences, specialising in Pedagogy and the History of Dance, which he teaches at the Accademia Teatro alla Scala. His research focuses on the evolution of ballet as an art form during the 18th and 19th centuries, with particular attention to Nureyev’s repertoire and British ballet. Vito is an essayist, gives lectures and contributes writings on dance and ballet to the programme notes of various Italian and international theatres including Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro Regio in Turin, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Teatro Filarmonico, Arena di Verona, Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm and the National Theatre in Prague. Additionally, he is a journalist, dance and ballet critic and editor-in-chief of the magazine Sipario. Vito also writes about dance for the magazine La Scala and for the culture section of the online editorial of Il Sole 24 Ore.
Yukiko Kishinami is a staff writer of The Japan News, the English-language newspaper published by The Yomiuri Shimbun in Japan, with expertise in music and culture. Having studied musicology at the Tokyo National University of Arts and the University of London, Goldsmith College, Yukiko has written reviews, interview stories and other original articles for Opera Now, International Piano, Ongaku no Tomo, among other publications.
Zach Carstensen, a Chicago-area freelance music critic, specializes in classical music and opera. He regularly contributes to Seen and Heard International and founded the Gathering Note in 2007. For two decades, he lived in Seattle, where his writing appeared in publications such as the Seattle Times, City Arts, Sound Magazine and River Cities Reader. Zach is a 2009 fellow of NEA Institute in Classical Music and Opera.
Zenaida des Aubris, based in Berlin, has over 30 years experience in artist management and production of classical music and opera in the United States, Europe and Asia. Currently, she offers consultation to music competitions and schools as well as to individual recent graduates on how to manage themselves and kickstart their careers through her company Opera Career Advice.
Zoë Anderson is a dance critic and writer. She is the author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years (Faber) and The Ballet Lover’s Companion (Yale). She has written for The Independent, the i newspaper, the Times Literary Supplement, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications.
Zoltán Szabó is a cellist and musicologist. Having migrated from his native Hungary to Australia in 1985, he worked with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in Sydney until 1991, when he became Principal Cello with Opera Australia. In 2017, he was awarded with a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD). Currently, he is teaching music history and musicology at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
