We’re looking forward to introducing you to Chiara Gorodesky. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Chiara, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
The secret ingredient to happiness and laughter is doing what you love — and I’m grateful to experience that every day through vildwerk., the non-profit organization I founded in late 2022 to inspire conservation awareness through dance and the performing arts.
Right now, we’re deep in preparations for our second season, Dancing for Our Wonderful World, taking place December 17–20 at New York Live Arts. The program features eight extraordinary ballets, including two world premieres. I feel immense pride seeing how seamlessly everything is coming together — from collaborating with eight choreographers and more than 30 dancers to working alongside lighting, projection, and set designers, composers, theatre staff, PR, social media, and education teams, as well as our incredible advisory board and committee, all while organizing our Opening Night Aftershow Party!
One highlight has been the creation of a new ballet by Bradley Shelver, Artistic Director of the Joffrey Concert Group, set to an original score by David K. Israel, inspired by the work of WWF and the movement of the oceans. After many discussions exploring both artistic and ecological themes, seeing the piece take shape in rehearsal absolutely blew my mind — it’s powerful, fluid, and deeply moving. Knowing that the world’s largest conservation organization is collaborating with vildwerk. makes me incredibly proud.
Another profoundly meaningful moment was learning that Edward Watson, one of my all-time favorite dancers and former Principal of The Royal Ballet, will perform a new solo created for him by Antonia Franceschi, in partnership with Nature and Culture International. Having artists I’ve long admired join our mission fills my heart with gratitude.
Each of the eight ballets we’ll showcase this December tells its own story — and facilitating these partnerships brings me a deep sense of purpose. Our goal isn’t only to present beautiful, moving performances but to inspire real-world awareness and action. With seasons already planned through 2027, I’m confident vildwerk. is finding its lasting place on the international dance calendar.
And on a more personal note, the greatest pride of all comes from my two children — Noah (12) and Polina (10) — whose curiosity, kindness, and sense of wonder constantly inspire me. Watching them grow into thoughtful, creative individuals reminds me daily why protecting our planet’s beauty and future truly matters.
As for laughter — there’s no shortage of it! Every rehearsal and creative meeting overflows with joy. One moment that had me laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face happened just last weekend, when Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Artistic Director of EMERGE125, and I flew to California to meet with the California Grizzly Alliance and Indigenous leaders. We were discussing a new ballet inspired by the effort to reintroduce the grizzly bear — now extinct in California — for our 2026 season. The meetings themselves were wonderful and full of optimism, but our flights to and from New York were canceled repeatedly due to staffing shortages. It turned into a full-blown comedy of errors, and by the end, we could only laugh our way through it — now one of my favorite memories.
My crow’s feet may have deepened this past year, but I wear them proudly — proof that I’m smiling my way through a life I truly love.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
The secret ingredient to happiness and laughter is doing what you love — and I’m grateful to experience that every day through vildwerk., the non-profit organization I founded in late 2022 to inspire conservation awareness through dance and the performing arts.
Right now, we’re deep in preparations for our second season, Dancing for Our Wonderful World, taking place December 17–20 at New York Live Arts. The program features eight extraordinary ballets, including two world premieres. I feel immense pride seeing how seamlessly everything is coming together — from collaborating with eight choreographers and more than 30 dancers to working alongside lighting, projection, and set designers, composers, theatre staff, PR, social media, and education teams, as well as our incredible advisory board and committee, all while organizing our Opening Night Aftershow Party!
One highlight has been the creation of a new ballet by Bradley Shelver, Artistic Director of the Joffrey Concert Group, set to an original score by David K. Israel, inspired by the work of WWF and the movement of the oceans. After many discussions exploring both artistic and ecological themes, seeing the piece take shape in rehearsal absolutely blew my mind — it’s powerful, fluid, and deeply moving. Knowing that the world’s largest conservation organization is collaborating with vildwerk. makes me incredibly proud.
Another profoundly meaningful moment was learning that Edward Watson, one of my all-time favorite dancers and former Principal of The Royal Ballet, will perform a new solo created for him by Antonia Franceschi, in partnership with Nature and Culture International. Having artists I’ve long admired join our mission fills my heart with gratitude.
Each of the eight ballets we’ll showcase this December tells its own story — and facilitating these partnerships brings me a deep sense of purpose. Our goal isn’t only to present beautiful, moving performances but to inspire real-world awareness and action. With seasons already planned through 2027, I’m confident vildwerk. is finding its lasting place on the international dance calendar.
And on a more personal note, the greatest pride of all comes from my two children — Noah (12) and Polina (10) — whose curiosity, kindness, and sense of wonder constantly inspire me. Watching them grow into thoughtful, creative individuals reminds me daily why protecting our planet’s beauty and future truly matters.
As for laughter — there’s no shortage of it! Every rehearsal and creative meeting overflows with joy. One moment that had me laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face happened just last weekend, when Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Artistic Director of EMERGE125, and I flew to California to meet with the California Grizzly Alliance and Indigenous leaders. We were discussing a new ballet inspired by the effort to reintroduce the grizzly bear — now extinct in California — for our 2026 season. The meetings themselves were wonderful and full of optimism, but our flights to and from New York were canceled repeatedly due to staffing shortages. It turned into a full-blown comedy of errors, and by the end, we could only laugh our way through it — now one of my favorite memories.
My crow’s feet may have deepened this past year, but I wear them proudly — proof that I’m smiling my way through a life I truly love.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Several factors come to mind, though I’ve always believed that nothing in life truly goes to waste — every experience serves a purpose, and it’s important to stay positive and see the glass as half full.
I come from a Polish-Russian family that has lived in many countries and speaks several languages across generations, which undoubtedly shaped the way I approach life. Having lived in Germany, England, and now the United States, I feel perfectly at home navigating New York City’s multicultural rhythm — it feels like a natural continuation of my own story.
My years as an attorney also played a crucial role in preparing me for what I do today. When I founded vildwerk., I was able to handle all of the legal and organizational groundwork myself — skills that continue to serve me every day. There’s tremendous value in having experienced both the structured, analytical world of law and the creative, intuitive world of the arts; each offers its own lens on how to build and sustain something meaningful.
That said, the part of me that I’ve released — with gratitude rather than regret — is the lawyer who lived primarily within that corporate framework. Letting go of law as a full-time profession has been liberating. I’ve stepped fully into the world that truly fulfills me: uniting dance and conservation by getting my hands dirty and being “in the field’ to bring joy, awareness, and purpose to others. I know, without question, that this is what I’m meant to do for the rest of my life — for the greater good, and to make people happy.
Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
I do. None of what I’ve been able to build with vildwerk. would have been possible without the tremendous support of its board and advisory board. When I first began sharing my vision in the summer of 2022, I was met with complete trust and enthusiasm — 100% support, zero hesitation. People simply believed in my gut instinct, and that faith gave me the courage and determination to make vildwerk. a reality.
The very first person I approached for guidance and endorsement was Tony Award–winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. He welcomed me into his home and listened — truly listened — as I shared my impassioned, emotional pitch about why the arts must play a more active role in inspiring environmental awareness. I explained that, to my knowledge, no organization in the world existed with the singular mission of producing major dance works in collaboration with conservation organizations.
Christopher listened quietly and thoughtfully. When I finished, he smiled and said words I will never forget:
“Chiara, of course I will support you. I’m very inspired by what you’re planning to do.”
That moment changed everything. It affirmed that I was on to something meaningful — that my vision had not only been heard, but understood. His belief gave me the momentum to move forward, and it remains one of the most defining and uplifting moments in vildwerk.’s story.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
That you don’t need to have everything perfectly planned out to succeed.
This is a difficult question, but I’ll answer it from a deeply personal place — because I hope it may inspire someone reading this to take that first step toward something they’ve been dreaming about.
For much of my life, I believed — like most people — that success required a full roadmap, all pieces in place, and complete certainty before starting. Over the years, however, I’ve learned that this belief often stops great ideas from ever coming to life. Most people begin with excitement and vision, only to abandon their projects when faced with missing links, unanswered questions, or unpredictable outcomes.
But in the past five years, I’ve discovered that sometimes you simply have to be brave and begin. You will rarely have all the factors aligned. The unknowns will always be there. Yet once you take the first step with a clear sense of purpose, the path starts to reveal itself. Solutions appear as you move forward — not before.
Of course, this approach brings a few sleepless nights. But the reward is incomparable: the moment you fully believe in your vision, you are already halfway to achieving it.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
That empathy is everything.
Whether it’s smiling at someone in the supermarket who looks stressed and late for an appointment, or leading a large organization — empathy allows you to step into another person’s shoes. The truth is, we never really know what someone else is going through. We can’t see inside their heart; we only see the surface, which often doesn’t reflect their reality.
I’ve often been told that I’m a “super-empath.” I’m not sure what that truly means, but I do know that I instinctively try to understand how others feel and to offer what they need in that moment — enough warmth, patience, or kindness to help them move forward.
This applies to my family, my friends, and my colleagues. It’s at the core of how I live and work. I believe empathy is not just a personal trait but a force that, if practiced widely, could genuinely make the world a better place. And in doing so, it benefits us all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vildwerk.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vildwerk/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiara-gorodesky-14ba25347/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vildwerk
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vildwerk.
Image Credits
Stephanie Diani, Hisae Aihara and Steven Pisano
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