Ilona Pászthy

Prof. Ilona Pászthy is an Honorary Professor at Alanus University of Applied Sciences Alfter, specializing in bodywork and dance performance. She has held academic roles since 2009 as a lecturer in bodywork and previously as head of dance and movement at Arturo Schauspielschule Köln (since 2001). Her career includes extensive engagements with renowned theaters and companies such as Tanztheater Irina Pauls and Tanzensemble Maja Lex. Pászthy’s artistic practice spans dance installations, choreography, and collaborative projects, emphasizing communication dynamics and sensory exploration.

Her education includes a diploma in illustration and painting from Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (1993). Currently based at Wachsfabrik/Barnes Crossing art center, she has produced works like the communication trilogy (2007-2008) and the pentalogy Sinnesverschiebung. Her installations such as I SEE U (2009-2010) and VIA (2007) have been nominated for Cologne Dance Theatre Prizes, with TAUSENDhertz winning the 2003 Cologne Dance Prize. She has led professional dance training programs since 2004 and exhibited internationally since 1993.

Her research interests focus on interdisciplinary performance, body movement’s communicative potential, and the intersection of technology with dance. Grants and collaborations include the Barnes Choreographer Network and Staatstheater Kassel. Pászthy’s work challenges conventional choreographic boundaries through site-specific installations and audience engagement experiments.