Tanja Illukka

I graduated from Theatre Academy Helsinki as Master of Dance Arts in 2003. In dance and choreography, I am most interested in movement. As a dancer, I want to be a conduit between the world of the piece and the audience, dancing so brightly and precisely that the deepest character of the work can become visible.

During my career as dancer, I have worked with many major Finnish choreographers. My most long-term collaborators have been choreographers Petri Kekoni, Ismo-Pekka Heikinheimo, Favela Vera Ortiz and Heidi Masalin.

My extended collaboration with Petri Kekoni began in 2005 with the work Glow of Dimness. This was followed by Absoluutti (2007), MEVOTH – miksi emme voi olla tässä hetkessä (2008), Theses of the Deed (2011/2017), Non-Linear (2014/2015), Through Three Stopping Places (2015), Stop – The Dark Matter of Art (2016) and, most recently, 369° in 2019.

I have danced with choreographer Ismo-Pekka Heikinheimo since 2006, most recently in the work Anybody´s Architecture: Some Body in 2019. With choreographer Favela Vera Ortiz, I have collaborated since 2005. In 2018, I choreographed the children’s contemporary dance work Kastor & Pollux together with choreographer Heidi Masalin, and the work was granted the 2018 Pikku ITU award for stage performances for small children.