Guest Lectures & Invited Talks
Dr. Simona Noja-Nebyla, Dance Theory, Aesthetics & Ballet — Practitioner-Researcher
Dr. Simona Noja-Nebyla holds a PhD in Theatre and Performing Arts from Babeș-Bolyai University (summa cum laude), with a doctoral thesis on ballet as an academic educational model. She brings a rare combination of academic rigor and world-class artistic experience to the study of dance theory and aesthetics: a former Principal Dancer at the Vienna State Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin, she went on to serve as Executive Director of the Vienna State Opera's ballet education programme for a decade, and later as Lecturer in Dance History, Dance Theory, and Aesthetics at the "Gheorghe Dima" Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca.
Her research explores dance theory and aesthetics from a practitioner's point of view — treating embodied technique as a legitimate source of theoretical knowledge, not merely its subject. She is the author of three books published in 2025, including a university textbook on the theory and aesthetics of dance for BA, MA, and PhD-level study, and a scholarly monograph on ballet as an epistemological model. Her work has been presented at international conferences across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, including the World Congress of Dance Research (Athens) and the Alma Mater Europaea conference series (Maribor).
She is a recipient of the Order of the Star of Romania (Officer and Knight ranks) and the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, and has served as a jury member for major international ballet competitions including the Youth America Grand Prix, Japan Grand Prix, and Taiwan Grand Prix. She founded the European Ballet Grand Prix and the Simona Noja Cultural Foundation, supporting young dancers.
Dr. Noja-Nebyla is available for guest lectures, workshops, and masterclasses at universities and arts academies worldwide, in Romanian, English, and German.
Topics
Dance Theory & Aesthetics — foundational concepts and contemporary debates in the philosophy of dance
Ballet Technique & Embodied Knowledge — how technical mastery shapes theoretical understanding
The Practitioner's Perspective in Artistic Research — bridging practice and academic inquiry
History and Evolution of Ballet as an Academic Discipline
Movement Theory and Contemporary Artistic Research
(Custom topics can be developed on request to fit a specific course or program.)
Formats
Guest Lecture (60–90 minutes, followed by Q&A)
Workshop (half-day or full-day, practice-based)
Masterclass (technique-focused, for advanced students/professionals)
Seminar Series (multi-session, for deeper theoretical engagement)
Languages
Română
English
Deutsch
Interested in inviting me to your institution? Contact me with details about your program, preferred format, and dates, and I'll get back to you promptly.