In 15 años (15 years), internationally acclaimed artist Poliana Lima explores questions of identity, belonging and visibility through a personal lens. Reflecting on gender, age, migration and cultural lineages, she asks what lies beneath the labels we use to define ourselves, and how we connect with one another beyond them.
Blending movement, voice and lived experience, Lima considers dance as a shared language that carries memories, histories and gestures from one body to another. Individual stories become collective experience, revealing unexpected connections between performer and audience.
At once playful and provocative, Poliana Lima 15 años confronts assumptions surrounding femininity, desire and the body. With openness and defiance, Lima reveals the body as a site of projection, inviting audiences to reflect on their own perceptions, challenges and desires.
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Poliana Lima
Choreographer, Dancer & Teacher
Poliana Lima (she/her)
Choreographer, Dancer & Teacher
Madrid (Spain) / São Paulo (Brazil)
Previous Dance Umbrella credits: Studio Sessions (2025, Sadler’s Wells East)
Poliana Lima is a choreographer, dancer and teacher. She studied sociology at UNICAMP (Brazil) and dance at various schools and grew up in a culture where dance is very present.
Poliana synthesises these paths in her body and takes them as the central object of her expression and research. Creatively, she explores the possibilities of creating poetics on stage that are capable of communicating with the audience in a simple and profound way.
Over the last 15 years, Poliana has created eight full-length works and six short works and dance projects. She has been an associate artist at Condeduque-Madrid (2018-20) and has received support from Teatros del Canal, CND – Pantin, Festival Dias da Dança – Porto, Aerowaves, among others.
In March 2026, Poliana had an expanded programme at the Mercat de les Flors, presenting her latest works.
More from Poliana Lima

9 - 10 Oct 2026
In-person
The Place
Poliana Lima & Yinka Esi Graves A Place to Dance
A captivating work shaped by rhythm, dialogue and an innate desire to celebrate our shared experiences
Cast & Creative +
- Poliana Lima and Cultproyect
Production - Raimundo Pérez-Messina
Director - Safira Álavrez, Álvaro Gómez Pidal, Itza Mendy
Additional Cameras - Graner – Barcelona, Espaciotiempo – Madrid
Locations - Italian Concerto In F Major, Bw 971: Ii. Andante, Johann Sebastian Bach - Glenn Fould, 1981
Music - Carolina Batista, María Jesús Rubio
Students - Yinka Esi Graves, Astrid Bramming and Danielle Mesquita, Natalia Fernandes, Isabella Rossi, Almudena Pérez, Malvin Monteiro, Darío Sigco, Darío Barreto, Miguel Ángel Chumo Mata
Dancers
Credits +
With the support of Culture Department of the City Of Madrid










