Education
MA in Dance Art & Dance Pedagogy
Theatre Academy, Uniarts Helsinki, Finland
BA in Contemporary Dance Studies
Hochschule für Musik und Tanz, Cologne, Germany
BA in Drama Instruction, Theatre & Puppetry
Arts Academy, University of Applied Sciences, Turku, Finland
Teaching & Coordination
present
Planning Teacher of Performing Arts
TaiKon – City of Vaasa, Finland
Dance Teacher (full-time)
Soisalo-opisto – City of Varkaus, Finland
2021
Planning Teacher (substitute)
Soisalo-opisto – City of Varkaus, Finland
Performances
Oikeusjuttu
Choreographer · Direction: Mikko Korsulainen
Oulu Theatre, Finland · Premiere March 2026
Juurimatka
Director / choreographer
Oulu 2026 European Capital of Culture, Finland
Lavatanssit
Dance artist / choreographer · With Marje Hirvonen
Münsterland Festival, Emsdetten, Germany (Sep 2023) · Tanztausch Festival, Cologne (Sep 2024) · Playground – Dance Festival, Wuppertal (Jul 2025)
ILMA
Director / choreographer
Zodiak New Dance Centre, Helsinki, Finland · December 2019
I, Holobiont
Dancer & choreographer · With Janis Heldmann
Pottporus Festival, Herne, Germany · Premiere October 2019
HOLD ON
Director / choreographer · With Emma Valtonen
Tanzhaus NRW, Düsseldorf, Germany · July 2019
Flames Musical (org. Liekit-Musikaali)
Director
Finnish community in Germany · Cologne & Frankfurt · Premiere October 2017
FEST
Director / choreographer
TanzFaktur, Cologne (Premiere March 2017) · Faces-Festival, Fiskars, Finland (Aug 2017) · Tanztausch-Festival, Cologne (Dec 2017)
Memento
Director · With Strings Theatre Company
Imaginarius – Theatre Festival, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal · May 2015
Embellished Abundance
Performer
J'Agura – Love Festival, South Bank, London, UK · August 2015
Anhel
Dancer & choreographer
Premiere: Capellades, Spain (Dec 2013) · Espaço Compasso, Porto (2014) · Helsinki (Apr 2014) · Le Chene, Paris (Feb 2015) · Faki Festival, Zagreb (May 2015) · ZIL Festival for Contemporary Dance, Moscow (Jul 2015) · TanzFaktur, Cologne (Mar 2017)
The Strings
Physical theatre & dance · Strings Theatre Company
Premiere: Edificio AXA, Porto (Jan 2014) · Imaginarius Festival, Portugal (Jun 2014) · Le Chene, Paris (Feb 2015) · International Theatre Festival, Kerala, India (Feb 2017)
Award of the street theatre part — Imaginarius Festival, Portugal, 2014
JINN
Dancer & choreographer
New York University, Abu Dhabi, UAE · Nov 2014 – Apr 2016 · Premiere March 2016
Happened Here Today
Performer / collaborator
Eduardo Mondlane University Theatre Department, Maputo, Mozambique · August 2011
Community Art
Berührungspunkte Vol II
Director / choreographer
City Theatre Oberhausen, Germany · October 2025
Metsänalaiset
Ensemble performer / initiator / choreographer
Forests in Vantaa & Varkaus, Finland · July – September 2022
Vapaus olla! — short film
Director
Created with 60 children and youth · City of Varkaus, Finland · 2022
#LUFT
Director / choreographer
Pottporus Festival & Chance Tanz, Herne, Germany · Premiere October 2019
Berührungspunkte
Participatory dance piece / artistic workshop of touch
Funder: LAG Tanz, Herne, Germany · August 2019
Getting in Touch
Dance project with young people with recent immigration background
City of Herne & Pottporus Dance School, Germany · October 2018
Travelogues in this town
Artist / director
Oulu Reception Centre & Arts Promotion Centre Finland · August 2014 – 2015
PopOrNot!?
Director — visiting theatre & puppetry show on discrimination and bullying
Arts Promotion Centre & collaborative schools, Finland · October 2013 – September 2014
Research Focus
Eco-social justice in dance education
How embodied and arts-based practices address ecological and social questions simultaneously in educational contexts.
Embodied learning environments
How somatic awareness, presence, and physical attunement shape the dynamics of learning spaces.
Arts-based methods & multispecies thinking
Using art as a research method for exploring human-environment relations — developed through works such as I, Holobiont and Metsänalaiset.
PhD — Education or Arts-Based Practice
Nella is actively developing a doctoral research proposal on how embodied, ecological approaches can transform learning, relation, and action in the world.
Publications
Ilmaan kietoutuneet — Ryhmälähtöinen tanssiteos avaamassa ymmärrystä osallisuudesta ilmastoon
Nella Turkki · Sosiaalipedagogiikan aikakausikirja, 2022
doi.org/10.30675/sa.109417EcoJustice Approach to Dance Education
Raisa Foster & Nella Turkki · Journal of Dance Education, 2021
doi.org/10.1080/15290824.2021.1906430In the air — Moving through climate emotions
Nella Turkki & Anna Lehtonen · DRAMA, Vol. 57, Iss. 2, pp. 20–25, 2020
Woven Into the Air — Dance as a Practice Towards Ecologically and Socially Just Communities
Nella Turkki · Master Thesis, Uniarts Helsinki, 2020
helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/318064Academic Presentations & Training
Nella has delivered trainings, workshops, and academic presentations on eco-social sustainability and climate awareness in art at universities across Finland and internationally — including Aalto University, University of Helsinki (HY+ project), University of Tampere, New York University in Abu Dhabi, and Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln.
Leadership & Governance
present
President of the Board
JoJo – Oulu Dance Centre, Finland