Ionuț Zaharia adds to the list of Romanian dancers who have built a career abroad. He is a principal dancer with Atlantic City Ballet, a company in New Jersey.

Born in 1987 in Bucharest, Zaharia graduated from the Floria Capsali Choreography High School in Bucharest. There, he impressed the admission jury with moves from one of his favorite films, Saturday Night Fever, Stiri.tvr.ro reported.

He went on to perform in various shows of the Bucharest Opera, and attend numerous festivals and national and international competitions. In between 2003 and 2006, he came out first at the National Ballet Competition.

Despite having offers from the Bucharest Opera House and the Oleg Danovski Opera in Constanța, he decided to leave for the United States, where he spent, at first, one year. Upon returning, he performed in both Bucharest and Constanța until 2010, when he decided to have another go at a career in the US.

He joined again the Atlantic City Ballet, and has since been a dancer with the company. His repertoire includes performances such as Cinderella, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Dracula, Pas de Deux, Le Sylphide, Le Bayader (solo), Swan Lake, Anna Karenina, and Le Corsaire.

“To me, dance is a rediscovery of the body as a means of expression,” he explained for Stiri.tvr.ro. He also lists among his biggest achievements the main parts in productions such as Dracula, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, and Romeo and Juliet.

UK’s National Dance Awards recognize Romanian ballerina Alina Cojocaru

(Photo: Atlantic City Ballet Facebook Page)

editor@romania-insider.com