Tanja Rühl

Born in Germany, Tanja Rühl began her training as a theatre technician at the Oper Frankfurt in 1999. After completing her training with honours, she joined the Ballett Frankfurt in 2002 as the assistant to the lighting chief under the artistic direction of William Forsythe. Subsequently, in 2005, she was appointed as the head of lighting for the newly founded Forsythe Company.

In 2006, she completed her Master's in Theatre Technology with a focus on lighting. Since 2007, she has been the lighting designer for the company, often collaborating with her mentor, William Forsythe. As a member of Forsythe Productions, Tanja also serves as a technical and creative consultant for collaborations with ballet and dance companies regarding Forsythe's licensed works.

Since 2014, she has been working full-time as a freelance lighting designer, collaborating with choreographers, ensembles, and artists worldwide, while remaining loyal to her collaboration with William Forsythe. Together, they create new works and occasionally adapt his repertoire. She has worked at the Opéra Garnier Paris, Brooklyn Academy of Music New York, Tate Modern London, Kawasaki Arts Center, Ruhrtriennale Jahrhunderthalle Bochum, and the Taichung National Theater in Taiwan.

Tanja Rühl teaches lighting design and the technical aspects of lighting at the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden and the HfMDK Frankfurt am Main.