Zanella joined the Stuttgart Ballet in 1985 and was appointed permanent choreographer there in 1993, thanks to artistic director Marcia Haydée.
In 1995, he was appointed artistic director and resident choreographer for the Vienna State Opera, a position he held for ten years until the end of the 2004/2005 season.
Renato Zanella premiered his first complete programme for the company – “Strawinski-Abend: Symphony, Movements, Sacre” in April 1996.
Renato Zanella choreographed the full-length ballet “Peer Gynt” for the Ballett des Teatro dell´Opera di Roma (November 2007) and “Amandi” for the Baden State Theatre Ballet in Karlsruhe (das Ballett des Badischen Staatstheater Karlsruhe) (April 2008).
In 2003, he choreographed the opera “Die Zauberin” for a co-production of the Teatro San Carlos in Lisbon and the Mariinski Theatre in St. Petersburg.
He also provided choreography for “Jenůfa”, “Der Riese vom Steinfeld”, “Jonny spielt auf”, “Daphne” and “Le nozze di Figaro”.
In 2011, the opera “Die Trojaner”,[7] was premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin with dance sequences created by Renato Zanella.
[citation needed] In the year 2000 he started a dance project called “off ballet special” in co-operation with the “ich bin o.k.” (I'm O.K.)
[citation needed] Renato Zanella has choreographed several pieces for the annual New Year’s Concerts performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra which are televised to millions of viewers all over the world.
[9] He was further commissioned as choreographer for the film “Jedermanns Fest” (directed by Fritz Lehner)[10] and for the “World Sports Awards of the Century” at the Vienna State Opera as well as the “Toyota Millennium Concert” in Tokyo.
[12] He received the prize for “the Best New Production in Italy” (2007) for his full-length choreography of “Peer Gynt” for the Balletto dell´Opera di Roma.