Prof. Agnès Noltenius was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, and holds German and French citizenship. She received eight years of professional dance training at the Paris Opera Ballet School before beginning her career with the Ballet du Rhin (Opéra National du Rhin) in Strasbourg. As a principal dancer, she performed major roles in the classical repertoire and worked with renowned artists including Rudolf Nureyev and Maia Plisetskaya.

In 1989, following her encounter with William Forsythe, she joined Ballet Frankfurt, where she remained a member of the ensemble for more than 13 years.

Holding the French State Diploma in Dance Education, Noltenius is regularly invited as a guest teacher in classical ballet, repertoire, and William Forsythe’s Improvisation Technologies at universities, academies, and professional ballet companies internationally, including in Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Austria, Belgium, Spain, the United States, and Sweden. For many years, she has worked as a Choreographic Assistant at Forsythe Productions overseeing the staging and transmission of some of his most significant works. Her work has included productions with, among others, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Teatro alla Scala Ballet, Zurich Opera Ballet, Compañía Nacional de Danza Madrid, Paris Opera Ballet, São Paulo Companhia de Dança, Universal Ballet Seoul, English National Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Semperoper Ballett, The Washington Ballet, and The National Ballet of Canada.

Between 2006 and 2009, Noltenius created choreographic works for the Junior Ballet programs of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon and Paris. In 2008 and 2009, she choreographed and performed Senso Solo and the duet pas un, pas de deux, supported by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Munich. Noltenius is also a certified Pilates instructor. In 2003, she published the photography book DETAIL-FORSYTHE with Éditions Complexe in collaboration with ARTE Editions.

Since October 2019, Agnès Noltenius has been Professor of Dance and Head of the Dance Academy at the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim.