BIO
I graduated as a Doctor of Dance from University of Arts in Helsinki in 2018. My doctoral research is about Somaesthetics of Contact Improvisation. Artistic research is focusing on values in contact improvisation and how it is presented in a somaesthetic performance context. I graduated (MA) from the Dance Department from the University of Arts, Finland in 2000, before that I did masters of Physical Education from University of Jyväskylä.
In dance I am interested in the feeling of flow and research of kinetic energy. I love to investigate movement, its rhythm and different ways of inhabiting the body. A feeling of dancing is created by management of gravitational forces, falling responses and inertia.
My Choreographies, Dance Pedagogy and Art Pedagogy refers to artistic activity infused by pedagogical viewpoints, generating a field of continuous learning. My choreographies provide a strong foundation for creative and critical thinking, as well as development of solid artistic-pedagogical skills. I believe that making art is based on listening to and encountering each other. It is an open process of interaction and learning, where we step into the unknown, take risks and try out new ways of doing.
From 2000 onwards I have worked as a dance teacher, choreographer and lecturer for dance at the Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts. During the last 25 years I have been teaching in several international dance schools and professional dance companies including for example Cullberg Ballet in Sweden. I am regularly teaching bachelor and MA students in University of the Arts, Helsinki.
I have been working as an choreographer and as a dancer with many different dance companies and choreographers, here few of them: Helsinki Dance Company, Tampereen Työväen Teatteri, Center for new dance Zodiak, Dance theatre Minimi, Dance company Karttunen Kollektiv (choreographer Jyrki Karttunen), New Circus Company Circo Aereo, choreographer Joona Halonen, Echo Echo dance company (Northern Ireland), collaboration with Frey Faust and collaboration with Joerg Hassmann. During 2014-2024 I have been working as a dancer with finnish choreographer Valtteri Raekallio. I have been performing and teaching contemporary dance internationally in more than 40 different countries.
Tonus and Motion
Contact Improvisation Class: Tonus and Motion
Teachers: Mirva Mäkinen & Ilona Kenova
Level: Open Level (some CI experience recommended)
Class Description:
In this Contact Improvisation class, we will explore the interplay between the tonus (muscle tone) and motion in our dancing bodies. Our investigation begins with a deepening awareness of internal sensations—tuning into the subtle shifts of muscle engagement, relaxation, and readiness.
What is tonus?
- Tonus is the continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles, a key element in how we organize our movement, weight, and responsiveness. In CI, our tone shapes how we give and receive weight, how we fall, roll, lift, and flow with a partner.
Throughout the class, we will:
- Explore variations in muscle tone: from soft and receptive to activated and ready.Practice listening through touch, recognizing how changes in tone signal intent or direction.
- Move between states of stillness and motion, discovering how tone supports transitions.
- Work solo, in duets, and in group scores to research how tonus influences connection, timing, and spontaneity.
- Investigate the quality of motion born from different tonal states, and how these impact shared weight and movement pathways.
Our aim is not to “correct” tone, but to expand our awareness and range—to support more versatile, responsive, and expressive dancing.