Sasha Waltz was born in Karlsruhe, Germany. She studied dance and choreography in Amsterdam and New York. In 1993 she co-founded her company, Sasha Waltz & Guests, with Jochen Sandig in Berlin. In 1996 she opened the critically acclaimed Sophiensaele, a theatre she co-founded with Sandig. In 2000, Waltz was named oneof the artistic directors of Berlin’s Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz where – amongstothers– she created the pieces »Körper«, »S« and »noBody« as well as thechoreographic installation »insideout«. In 2005 Sasha Waltz & Guests once againbecame an independent company, with Jochen Sandig as artistic director. In January2005 her first opera-choreography »Dido & Aeneas« had its world premiere atStaatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin. In 2007 Sasha Waltz presented, among otherworks, two music-theatre choreographies: »Medea« with music by Pascal Dusapinand text by Heiner Müller had its World Premiere in Luxemburg in May as a feature of the European Culture Capital City 2007. In addition the Opéra de Paris in October 2007 presented the choreography by Sasha Waltz to Hector Berlioz’ dramatic symphony »Roméo et Juliette«. The music-based choreographic project »Jagden und Formen (Zustand 2008)«, music by Wolfgang Rihm, developed together with the Ensemble Modern was premiered in Frankfurt am Main in the spring of 2008. In March 2009 Sasha Waltz & Guests presented the project »Dialoge 09 – Neues Museum« in the New Museum in Berlin, reconstructed by David Chipperfield. In 2009 Sasha Waltz received an artist’s grant for Villa Massimo im Rome. »Dialoge 09 – MAXXI« by Sasha Waltz inaugurated Rome’s new museum for contemporary art, built by Zaha Hadid, in November 2009. In 2010 her choreography »Continu« was premiered in Zurich, Switzerland, followed by her next choreographic opera »Passion« composed by Pascal Dusapin, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris. In May 2011 the opera »Matsukaze« by Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa with choreography by Sasha Waltz premiered at the Oper La Monnaie in Brussels. In January 2012 the choreographic concert »gefaltet« by Sasha Waltz and Mark Andre was presented as a world premiere in the context of the festival Mozartweek by Stiftung Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. In May 2012 she was invited by the Berliner Philharmoniker to choreograph the dance project »MusicTANZ - Carmen« for their Education programme, with over 100 pupils performing to Rodion Schtschedrin’s Carmen Suite. In 2013 among other projects, Sasha Waltz created a choreography on Strawinsky’s »Le Sacre du Printemps«, a collaboration between Sasha Waltz & Guests and the Mariinsky Ballet, St. Petersburg. »Sacre« premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in May 2013 under the musical direction of Valery Gergiev. The German premiere followed in October 2013 at Berlin’s Staatsoper under the musical direction of Daniel Barenboim and performed by the dancers of Sasha Waltz & Guests. Together with Peter Weibel Sasha Waltz curated theexhibition »Sasha Waltz. Installationen. Objekte. Performances«, which presented her work for the first time in the context of visual arts. Within four months the new exhibition format attracted about 60.000 visitors. In April 2014 Sasha Waltz will continue her artistic collaboration with Barenboim by staging Richard Wagner’s »Tannhäuser«, a production of the Staatsoper im Schiller Theater Berlin. In September 2014 the new production of Sasha Waltz & Guests, Claudio Monteverdi’s »Orfeo« choreographed by Sasha Waltz and musically directed by Pablo Heras-Casado, will premiere in Amsterdam – a collaboration with the Freiburger Barockorchester. Sasha Waltz was awarded the »Caroline-Neuber-Preis« as well as the french cultural fraternity »Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres« in 2010 and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2011. Since June 2013, Sasha Waltz is also a member of the Academy of Arts, Berlin. For its anniversary year 2013 the company has been named »European Cultural Ambassador« by the European Union. Most recently Sasha Waltz & Guests was awarded the »george tabori ehrenpreis« 2014 by Fonds Darstellende Künste.