"My epiphany for the performing arts certainly did not hit me during my teenage years
after leaving a performance of 'Pelléas et Mélisande' by the Frankfurt Opera during the first intermission.
I stated to my classmates at that time that I had no intention of ever returning.
Funnily enough, three years later, I began my theatrical engineering apprenticeship at the very same theatre.
It was also around this time that I first encountered dance through the work of
William Forsythe's 'Endless House'.
It left me mesmerized and confused and I loved it.
Almost instantly I knew I wanted to become a part of this world of dance.
Working with and learning from some of the best,
for more than a decade, it has certainly shaped me as a human being
and enabled me to find my identity as an artist.
Now, as a freelance artist and lighting designer,
my aim is to explore the potential of light not only
for dance, but all kinds of performing arts.
Hoping to enlighten the world of art with what I love."
Biography:
Tanja is a freelance lighting designer and lighting supervisor.
She was born and resides in Germany.
In 1999 she began her theatrical engineering apprenticeship at Frankfurt Opera House.
After completion of the apprenticeship with distinction,Tanja joined Ballet Frankfurt under the artistic direction of William Forsythe in 2002 as Assistant to the Lighting Supervisor.
She was then appointed Lighting Supervisor with the newly founded Forsythe Company in 2005.
In 2006 she completed her master of theatrical engineering majoring in lighting.
Since 2007 Tanja has been acting as the company's lighting designer,
mostly in cooperation with her mentor Forsythe and her colleague in the company’s lighting department.
Being a member of Forsythe Productions, Tanja acts as technical and design consultant,
collaborating with ballet and dance companies in matters of Forsythe license works.
Since 2014 she is working as a full time freelance lighting designer, with choreographers,
companies and artists around the globe.
As a designer she is also still working with William Forsythe on his new works and
on recreations of his existing repertoire.
Productions she has created the original design for have been performed at
Opéra Garnier, Paris; Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York; Tate Modern, London;
Kawasaki Arts Center, Japan; Ruhrtriennale Jahrunderthalle, Bochum
and Taichung National Theater, Taiwan.
Apart from her work on stage, Tanja is teaching workshops about lighting design and the technical aspects of lighting at Palucca Hochschule für Tanz, Dresden and HfMDK Frankfurt am Main.
photo credit headshot: Dominik Mentzos