Anyone who is served by Suzan Opperman in first class on a SWISS flight today will not know that she, who serves breakfast, used to dance on the big stages as a ballerina. To tell the story of the petite woman with the short blonde haircut and big, expressive blue eyes, you must start early. Not in Zurich, from where she now flies all over the world, but in South Africa, where the now 30-year-old spent the first years of her life.

On the day Suzan discovered her love of ballet, she was four years old. ‘My mum took me to a performance of The Nutcracker,’ she says. When the four-year-old saw the dancers on stage, almost floating across the floor and in perfect synchronisation, she was hooked. ‘From that moment on, I wanted to start ballet immediately.’ Even today, more than 25 years later, you can see the spark in her eyes when she talks about the sport that has been with her for around a quarter of a century.

Hard-working and disciplined: Up to seven hours of training a day

When young Suzan danced, it wasn't just her mum who was thrilled, her eyes probably veiled in parental pride. Suzan's trainers also quickly recognised that the girl was talented. Over the years, the training became more and more intensive. At the age of seven, Suzan moved with her family to a town outside London. At 13, she was accepted into the Royal Ballet School in London, where she sometimes trained for up to seven hours a day. 

‘At that time, I only saw ballet, I couldn't imagine anything else in my life,’ says Suzan. But even then, she always told herself that she would stop dancing when she was no longer happy. ‘But at the time, I had blinkers on my eyes. I didn't allow myself to look left or right,’ she says, holding her hands on the sides of her face as an example. 

At the age of 19, Suzan applies to the Vienna State Opera. Together with around 100 other young women, she was invited to audition. ‘We all had a big number taped to our chests. Every half hour, some girls were sent home again.’ Even after four hours, Suzan was still not sent home. A few days after the audition, she was accepted for her dream job. ‘I still get goosebumps when I think about the email with the acceptance,’ says the 30-year-old.

A fall from the spotlight

As a member of the Cops de Ballet, Suzan now dances in almost every performance in Vienna. ‘My passion for dancing has only increased over the years,’ she says. Her first season was characterised by so many impressions. ‘I realised that I was being paid for my passion. That's something special.’

However, the Viennese fairytale didn't last long. One day before Suzan's second season in her career, she injured herself. ‘This was followed by an operation on my knee. The doctors were unsure whether I would ever be able to put full weight on my knee again as a dancer.’ These assessments came as a shock to Suzan: ‘Suddenly it occurred to me that I might have performed for the last time without realising it,’ she says. The knee injury was followed by ten months of rehabilitation and hard training. But it was worth it for the ballerina.

‘Looking back, those were the ten best months of my life. I learnt a lot and gained respect for my body.’ With her blinkers off, Suzan says a weight has been lifted. ‘You don't take a bad training day so hard anymore. I'm not just a ballerina. I am Suzan. That was the first moment I thought there was more to me than ballet.’

Suzan's knee injury heals completely. After rehab, she returns to the big stage. ‘For the first few years after the accident, I felt so grateful that I was able to dance again without pain.’

Retiring as a dancer at the age of 28

Years pass and Suzan continues to dance. Season after season, she dances new interpretations and classical pieces. Then comes the Covid pandemic and the ballerina is suddenly no longer sure how strong the fire for ballet still burns.

She completed a yoga course, but even that wasn't enough for her. ‘I had the feeling that I needed to get out and experience something.’ In 2022, Suzan got the feeling that something had to change. ‘It was time to admit that I wanted to quit.’ Suzan is 28 years old at this point. No longer young for a ballerina, but actually still too young to retire. ‘I always did what was expected of me. But then I realised that my soul wanted something else.’

She sees an advert from an airline on Instagram. They are looking for new board crew members. ‘I've always been passionate about aviation. The thought of flying really appealed to me,’ says Suzan. A friend advises the ballerina to apply to SWISS as well. ‘I thought to myself, if I get the job, then that's the way it has to be.’ Suzan is offered a job by both airlines. ‘I decided in favour of SWISS because I felt more humanity there,’ she says.

A new dance in a small space

She had not yet quit her job at the Vienna State Opera at the time. ‘I couldn't sleep for nights on end because I was so nervous. I was afraid I would feel remorse after resigning.’ But things turned out differently. ‘After I resigned, it felt like a huge weight had fallen from my shoulders.’

While her colleagues continue to dance, Suzan sits in the classroom and learns how to put out fires on board, mix a strong Bloody Mary or evacuate passengers from the aircraft in the event of an incident.

Flying and dancing are two fundamentally different disciplines. Nevertheless, the South African-born dancer finds some similarities. ‘Whether I'm part of the board crew or one of 24 swans, I always look out for my colleagues. Dancing and flying require a lot of teamwork.’ The board kitchen also reminds her of the backstage area of a performance. ‘You don't have much space in both, everything is timed and predetermined. I like rules and there are rules in both flying and dancing.’ Suzan is a so-called first-class crew member. ‘The aisle that leads through first class is my stage, just like when I dance. But here I'm closer to the audience. I get to show my personality and my humor, which makes me very happy.’ But despite the many similarities, Suzan makes no secret of the fact that a lot has changed. ‘It wasn't a change of job for me, but a change of lifestyle.’

She wants to stand up for healthy dance sport

Suzan has been flying with SWISS for one and a half years, in first class since May of this year. There is no end in sight for her. ‘I could well imagine flying part-time in the future and building something up for myself on the side.’ The 30-year-old already has clear ideas for this. ‘I've been studying for a master’s in dance sciences since this year. I would like to support dancers and teach them how they can pursue their passion without becoming mentally and physically ill.’ She is always in dialogue with other former dancers. ‘It's important to me that future talents can build their careers on a healthy foundation.’