Eeva Muilu appointed Professor of Dance Performance

MA in Dance Eeva Muilu has been appointed Professor of Dance Performance at the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki (Uniarts Helsinki). Eeva Muilu (b. 1980) has earned both national and international acclaim in her career as a choreographer and dancer. Muilu will begin her five-year term as Professor on 1 August 2018.

Eeva Muilu’s works have been performed on major international stages in Europe and Asia. She has also worked as a dancer in international groups and productions. Since 2011, Muilu has also worked in the artistic team of Side Step, an international contemporary dance festival organised in Finland.

She has received several awards for her artistic work, such as the esteemed European choreography award Prix du Jardin for her work Ihmisen asussa (2009) together with Milja Sarkola in 2012. In 2008, she received the Finnish Critics’ Association’s award Kritiikin Kannukset for her work Loppuunmyyty (2007).

Eeva Muilu has worked as the initiator, director and producer of artistic productions. She has also led workshops focusing on themes such as dance, improvisation, composition and performer’s profession in different institutions, such as Uniarts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy, North Karelia College, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, and Zodiak – Center for New Dance.

  • I am excited about getting to work with young artists and to reflect on art and art education related questions in such a diverse and multidisciplinary environment. In addition to the planning and management of education, I also look forward to getting to study different themes by working in the studio with students, says Eeva Muilu.

According to Muilu, dance education in Finland and at Uniarts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy is of high standard and quality. She finds that the education of a dance artist should provide students with a broad knowledge base and versatile skills to work in a diverse artistic environment and the tools to develop and reform art even further. Muilu herself graduated from the Theatre Academy’s MA programme in Choreography in 2007.

  • Besides her professional experience and artistic qualifications, Eeva Muilu impressed the recruitment committee also with her teaching skills and merits in international cooperation. Muilu’s teaching demonstration highlighted the respect that she has for students. Muilu has a strong interest in teaching, reforming and studying the field of dance, even on global platforms, says Theatre Academy Dean Maarit Ruikka.