Repetition, pedestrian elements, gestures, stillness and movement, order and chaos, and the transition from real to imagined spaces – ranging from the recognizable and everyday to the strange and poetic – are central themes in the work of Milla Koistinen. Her creations span stage productions, installations, and site-specific performances.
The Berlin- and Helsinki-based Finnish choreographer holds an MA in Dance from the Theatre Academy in Helsinki and an MA in Choreography from HZT Berlin. Koistinen’s works have been presented at venues and festivals, including Radialsystem, Dance House Helsinki, Tanzhaus NRW, & Espoo, Amos Rex, Szene Salzburg, Fabriktheater Zürich, Dampfzentrale Bern, Tanz im August, SPRING Performing Arts Festival, Moving in November and Faerderbiennalen.
In addition to her artistic work, Koistinen teaches contemporary technique, composition, and choreography in various companies, institutions, and educational programs. She has been a guest teacher at institutions such as the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD), the Iceland Academy of the Arts, Tanzhaus NRW, Sasha Waltz & Guests, the University of the Arts Helsinki, Carte Blanche, Unusual Symptoms and HZT Berlin.
In 2020–2024 Milla Koistinen’s work was supported by apap – FEMINIST FUTURES – a project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. In 2025–2027 Koistinen is working with the support of Arts Promotion Centre Finland.