Giulia Tonelli was born in Saint-Julien, near Geneva, and began her dance training at a private school in Pisa. She later continued her studies at Balletto di Toscana and graduated as a professional classical dancer from the Ballet School of the Vienna State Opera, where she was offered a one-year contract as an aspirant.

Her first professional engagement was with the Royal Ballet of Flanders, where she rose through the ranks to become a soloist. During her years with the company she performed leading roles such as Giselle and danced an extensive classical repertoire including La Bayadère, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake in productions by Marcia Haydée. Alongside the classical canon, she worked with some of the most important choreographers of the neoclassical and contemporary repertoire, including Hans van Manen, Jiří Kylián and William Forsythe, whose work had a particularly strong impact on her artistic development.

In 2010 she joined Ballet Zürich under the direction of Heinz Spoerli, where she later became First Soloist. There she performed numerous leading roles and worked with Spoerli and later with directors Christian Spuck and Cathy Marston.

In 2024 she chose to pursue a freelance career. Since then she has performed in projects such as Carmen by Filipe Portugal at Kloster Königsfelden and continues to collaborate with leading figures of today’s neoclassical dance scene. She is currently involved in a project bringing together former principal dancers from major international companies, with choreography by John Neumeier.

Alongside her performing career, she regularly gives masterclasses and workshops across Switzerland and Italy, sharing her experience with younger generations of dancers. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Dance Science at the University of Bern, further developing her work as a pedagogue and coach.