Poliana Lima (Brazil, 1983) is a choreographer, dancer, and teacher based in Madrid. In 2013, she was invited to participate in the European project "Performing Gender" and created the performance Cuerpo-Trapo (Rag-Body) for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, Croatia. In 2014, her first ensemble, Atávico, won the first prize in the 28th Choreography Contest of Madrid in addition to the Audience Award, the Critics' Award, the Dance Web Scholarship of 2015 (Impulstanz Viena), and a residency at the Tanzhaus in Zurich.
In 2016, she created the short piece Las cosas en la Distancia (The Things in the Distance) for Laboratorio 180. In 2017, she premiered her solo Hueco (Hollow) at the Teatros del Canal Theatre Complex in Madrid, and in June 2018, she began her national and international tour. Hueco was an official candidate for the 21st MAX Awards 2018 in Spain for Best New Show and Best New Author.
Her piece Aquí, siempre, premiered at the Conde Duque Centre in Madrid in 2019, and Las cosas se mueven pero no dicen nada, premiered at the Teatros del Canal centre in 2020, as a coproduction with the Days of Dance festival in Porto and the National Dance Centre (CND) in Paris. The same year saw the premier of the site-specific work Las cosas en la distancia. She was selected in 2021 as an artist by the prestigious platform Aerowaves for Las cosas se mueven pero no dicen nada.
Her most recent works are Oro negro, which premiered in the Autumn Festival in Madrid in 2022, and Cruce, which was presented at the Conde Duque Centre that same year. With the body as the centrepiece of her expression, Lima explores the possibilities of creating poetic expression onstage that connects with spectators simply yet profoundly. Concepts such as identity and memory are recurring subjects in her creations, as is the relationship between creation and teaching, which she considers a fundamental part of her dedication as an artist.
Her creations are sponsored by the Canal Dance Centre, the Autumn in Spring festival, the Conde Duque Centre, the National Dance Centre, the Days of Dance festival in Porto, Porosus Fonds de dotation, Tenerife Auditorium, the Paso a two platform, the Autonomous Community of Madrid, the Madrid City Council and the INAEM (National Institute of Performing Arts and Music).