WanTing Zhao
WanTing Zhao, born in Anshan, China, began her formal ballet training at the Beijing Dance Academy. She continued her studies at the Rock School of Dance before joining the San Francisco Ballet School in 2010. Ms. Zhao became a company member of the San Francisco Ballet in 2011 under the direction of Helgi Tomasson, and she was promoted to Soloist in 2016. In 2019, she achieved the title of Principal Dancer.
Throughout her career, she has performed leading roles in works by renowned choreographers including George Balanchine, Natalia Makarova, Helgi Tomasson, John Neumeier, Harald Lander, Jerome Robbins, Hans van Manen, and Serge Lifar. She has also originated roles in ballets by contemporary choreographers such as Benjamin Millepied, Wayne McGregor, Trey McIntyre, Mark Morris, Alexei Ratmansky, Val Caniparoli, Stanton Welch, Ashley Page, Christopher Wheeldon, Liam Scarlett, Edward Liang, and Dwight Rhoden, among others.
WanTing Zhao won the Outstanding Artistry Award and the Silver Medal at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2009. In addition to her dance career, she has been featured in campaigns for brands such as Banana Republic, GapFit, Uniqlo, Athleta, and Apple. She is also set to appear in the upcoming Amazon Prime TV series Etoile, premiering in 2025.
