Anastasia Dunets was born in Leningrad and received her formal training at the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy, where she studied under two of the most legendary figures in Russian ballet, Natalia Dudinskaya and Konstantin Sergeev. During her time at the Academy, she performed featured roles in Sergeev’s The Seasons, the Sleeping Beauty pas de deux, Venetian Carnival, and the grand pas de deux from Paquita for the Academy’s 250th Anniversary Gala in 1988. As a student, she also portrayed Masha in The Nutcracker at the Mariinsky Theatre, earning early acclaim for her refined technique and exceptional stage maturity.

Upon graduating, Ms. Dunets won Second Prize at the Vaganova International Ballet Competition and subsequently joined the Mariinsky Ballet, where she worked closely with renowned artists such as Olga Moiseeva and Galina Kekisheva under the direction of Oleg Vinogradov. During her years with the company, she toured extensively across Europe, North America, and Asia, and appeared in several ballet films including Vinogradov’s Coppelia and Cinderella, the latter showcasing her exquisite comedic artistry.

In 1997, Ms. Dunets joined the State Ballet Berlin, where she collaborated with leading choreographers including Pierre Lacotte, Uwe Scholz, and Marc Ribaud. In 2000, she was invited by choreographer and director Jorma Uotinen to join the Finnish National Ballet, where she danced principal roles in George Balanchine’s Serenade and Violin Concerto, Gamzatti in Natalia Makarova’s La Bayadère, the Fairy Godmother in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, Myrtha in Sylvie Guillem’s Giselle, and Raymonda in the celebrated Anna-Marie Holmes/Kevin McKenzie production co-created with American Ballet Theatre.

In 2006, Ms. Dunets received Finland’s PRO DANCE Award for her portrayal of Masha in John Neumeier’s The Seagull, and in 2008, she embodied the complex role of Arkadina in the same ballet, further demonstrating her rare depth as both a dancer and actor. That same year, she performed the role of the Mother in Cathy Marston’s Blood Wedding.

Alongside her performing career, Ms. Dunets earned a Bachelor of Arts in Ballet Pedagogy from the Vaganova Ballet Academy and went on to teach at the Dance Institute of Helsinki and the Finnish National Ballet School. Between 2015 and 2019, she served on faculty at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. Her students have gone on to win top prizes at international competitions and dance with leading companies including Hamburg Ballet (John Neumeier), Finnish National Ballet, Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, The Washington Ballet, and Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

For her distinguished achievements in the arts, Anastasia Dunets was awarded the Order of the Lion of Finland in 2015. As a choreographer and artistic director, she has led projects in Finland, the United States, Costa Rica, and Bulgaria, and is regularly invited as a guest teacher and jury member for international ballet programs and competitions across Europe.