Katarina Wester, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, has enjoyed a successful ballet career in Sweden and the United States. Her formal training began at the Royal Swedish Ballet School under the direction of Gösta Svalberg, with a focus on Vaganova technique as well as Bournonville and Cecchetti techniques. In addition, she received training from Betty Oliphant, Olga Lepeshinskaya, Sulamith Messerer, and Mikhail Messerer. Her training also includes proficiency in the Graham and Dunham techniques. Katarina completed summer studies at the Bartholin International Seminar in Copenhagen, Denmark, and at Rosella Hightower’s Conservatory in Cannes, France.

After graduation and apprenticeship at the Royal Swedish Ballet, Katarina joined and was later promoted to soloist with the Gothenburg Ballet. Upon returning to the Royal Swedish Ballet, she performed the works of such prominent choreographers as Mary Skeaping, Ivo Cramér, Mats Ek, Ulf Gadd, Dame Beryl Gray, Sulamith Messerer, Choo-San Goh, Sir Frederick Ashton, Jiří Kylián, and George Balanchine.

For the past three decades, Katarina has worked internationally as a professional dancer, teacher, répétiteur, coach, and choreographer. From 2010 to 2019, she was a faculty member of the Dance Department at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague working as a teacher, répétiteur, choreographer, and career coach. In the fall of 2022, Katarina returned to her alma mater at the Royal Swedish Ballet school and worked as a supervisor, lead teacher and coach. She has developed her own physical conditioning program for dancers, continues the study of Dance medicine, is an active member of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS), and is certified by A.C.E (American Council on Exercise). As a professional dancer, Katarina was awarded numerous scholarships from notable institutions such as the Carina Ari Foundation, the City of Stockholm, and the City of Gothenburg. In 2017, she received the Tyyne and Ivo Cramér Foundation Medal in Stockholm, Sweden for her contributions to dance.

Currently based in the San Francisco Bay area, Katarina is a faculty member of the San Francisco Ballet School. In addition, she works as an international freelance teacher, and a jury member for ballet competitions and selection committees.