Mark Wuest

I have always been preoccupied with body work. It is the life that I know. Now it is a pleasure and a privilege to share what I have learned. My background as an athlete and a dancer, as well as my experience in yoga and pilates influences my teaching style.

I started dancing as a student at the University of Iowa (USA), where I was a swimmer on scholarship. There I learned various forms of dance . However, the work of ballet teacher Françoise Martinet influenced me the most. After graduating with a BA in dance, I studied at Pacific Northwest Ballet School (Seattle) and Milwaukee Ballet School. During a five-year stay in New York as a dancer in the world-famous Joffrey Ballet, numerous teachers influenced me, most notably Zvi Gotheiner. Another inspiration for me was Alonso King in San Francisco.

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Career as a dancer

After my training, I worked as a professional dancer in renowned ballet companies such as the Kansas City Ballet (works by Balanchine, Ailey, ...), the Joffrey Ballet of New York City (works by Ashton, Jooss, Taylor, Nijinski, Tharp, Morris, Cranko, Arpino, ...), theBallet du Grand Théâtre de Genève (works by Kylián, Naharin, Bruce, ...) and the Ballet Zurich (works by Mats Ek, Amanda Miller, Jorma Uotinen, ...). I have also danced in productions of various choreographers from the independent scene.

Choreographer

I have created choreography for ballet, contemporary dance, opera and musical theatre. Highlights include working with Paul Pavey for our “Company of Shadows” (fully subsidised by the city of Zürich cultural foundation) and the “Space Dream” musical trilogy.

Lessons

I teach in the BA for Contemporary Dance at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). I previously taught at the High School for contemporary and urban dance in Zürich. I have also guest taught at various institutions in Europe and the USA.

Career as a yoga teacher

My interest in body-mind work goes back to my childhood in Iowa, where in the early 1970’s I started listening to body awareness LPs with my father. Later as a competitive swimmer I had extensive mental training and during my career as a professional dancer I explored yoga and pilates and developed a penchant for reading about eastern philosophy.

I draw on all my resources when I teach yoga. I borrow and adapt from anything that enhances our ability to feel, move, understand and experience our bodies and minds.

I have been practicing yoga in various forms for more than 40 years and have been teaching regularly since 2001. My teaching style is not static and is constantly evolving.