Kika Illegems

Kika Ilegems is a dancer, artist, and choreographer based in Antwerp, Belgium. As artiste associée at Compagnie Marius, she develops her work in different forms and stages: while Once continues to tour, her new creation Upperdog premieres in July 2026. Alongside her own creations, she also works as a choreographer for stage and film.
Together with her sister Lola Ilegems, she develops Huidhonger, an evolving multidisciplinary project that has appeared in the white cube, concert halls, and theatres. Created in co-production with Tutti Fratelli, the work explores touch, intimacy, and human connection through garments that translate touch into sound and light.
Based at Ercola, an artist-run community in Antwerp, Kika recently initiated ERCOLA DANST, a platform bringing together artists, works in progress, and new audiences.

Across current and recent projects, connection remains the guiding thread of her practice. Her work explores emotion, everyday life, and the expressive capacity of the body through dance and physical theatre.

Growing up in a family of actors, the stage was a familiar environment from an early age for Kika. Yet movement proved the most natural language, leading to a path in contemporary dance and performance. Classical ballet training at the Royal Ballet School Antwerp and studies in Dance and Embodied Artistic Research at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp laid the foundations for an artistic approach that continues to shape her work today.