Marialena Tamvakis
Dancer

Marialena Tamvakis was born in Athens, Greece, where she began her dance training at Χορός Κίνηση Ρυθμός. After relocating to Chicago as a teenager, she continued her training at Dance and Music Academy under the direction of Krissie Odegard Geye.

Marialena pursued her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earning a bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education. While dance was not her formal major, she remained deeply connected to the art form by founding the university’s first ballet student organization alongside fellow dancers. Through this organization, she continued performing, teaching, and choreographing throughout her college years.

Marialena currently works as both a dance and Greek teacher and is pursuing her master’s degree at Northwestern University. She is excited to continue dancing with TDC for her second season and is grateful for the opportunity to keep sharing her passion for movement with her community.