Aleksandra Dunaeva

Artist presentation

Aleksandra Dunaeva is a theatre educator, researcher, journalist, and diversity bridge builder with migration experience. She holds a PhD in Theatre Studies and is completing an MA in Theatre Pedagogy at Uniarts Helsinki (2026). Alumna of the Strengthening and Advancing Anti-Racist Practices course (Kulttuuria kaikille, 2024) and TINFO Prize 2022 laureate (Talo horjahti project team). Before moving to Finland, she published on socially engaged art in Russia and curated related projects. Her work focuses on theatre with youth and adults, including those with forced migration experience. Since 2022 she facilitates Erätauko dialogues. Interests include migrant body, borders, social empathy, possible futures, and representation of migration on the Finnish stage.

Professional dream

My professional aspirations centre on arts education and the experience of migration, as I am currently actively involved in the ‘Bodies and Borders’ project, which I began as my final-year project on the Theatre Pedagogy programme at Uniarts. In developing a more holistic approach to the migrant body, I have concluded that Finland’s current integration system does not consider physicality. I dream of developing programmes that take a more body-oriented approach to the integration process, particularly for those who have experienced trauma. For adults, this would involve working on body awareness, understanding the body’s signals and learning relaxation techniques. For children and adolescents, this could involve separate sessions and specialised support integrated into school and extracurricular education.

Special skills and competencies

• Drama teaching and theatre pedagogy (ages 9–99)
• Artistic and qualitative research
• Arts journalism (editor-in-chief, editor, critic, interviewer)
• Curating in theatre and interdisciplinary arts
• Development of socially engaged art projects
• Facilitation of work with diverse and multilingual groups
• Facilitation of dialogues using the Erätauko Dialogues method
• Basic experience and interest in role-playing games and LARP
• Basic experience and interest in sound art

Language skills

• Finnish (basic)
• English (excellent)
• German (basic)
• Russian (mother tongue)

Thesis project

Art-pedagogical work

Bodies and Borders workshop series, 2026
Creator: Aleksandra Dunaeva
Your own role: concept making, developing, facilitating, reflecting

Written component

Bodies and Borders – Towards a More Holistic Approach to Migrant Body

Other education

Diversity Bridger course. Strengthening and Advancing Anti-Racist Practices, Kultturia Kaikille, 2024
Galimatias Concept Oy, Helsinki, international course, 2022–2023
Candidate of Science in Arts — Russian Institute of Art History, St. Petersburg, 2013

Work sample

Creative Lab, 2025 – now
Creative team: cinema, theatre and art professionals with international backgrounds
Production: InterLang, Helsinki educational project, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Education
Your own role: teaching teenagers with diverse backgrounds how to write screenplays and make films

Cultural Dialogues, 2023–2025
Creative team: peer support project for artists and cultural workers with diverse backgrounds
Production: Taike, Globe Art Point
Your own role: co-creating the concept of the Dialogue series, facilitating in English and Russian

Model Helsinki projects in Pihlajisto, April – September 2023
Creative team: yhteisöt ja osallisuus, Finnish National Theatre
Production: Finnish National Theatre for Pihlajisto communities
Your own role: Community projects with diverse audiences. Co-creation of the concept, artistic research role, pedagogue for multicultural group of kids.

Links