Tanja Rühl

(lighting designer)

Tanja is a freelance lighting designer and lighting supervisor. 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. 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 a freelance lighting designer, working with choreographers, companies and artists around the globe. Productions she has created the original design for have been performed at Opéra Garnier, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Tate Modern, Kawasaki Arts Center, Ruhrtriennale Jahrunderthalle and Taichung National Theater.
 
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.