Extensive Bio

Maria dances, creates and teaches.

She concluded her Professional Training Course for Dancers at the Academia de Dança Contemporânea de Setúbal (ADCS), under the mentorship of Iolanda Rodrigues, Marina Sacramento, Madame Irina Stupina and Fernando Duarte. While a final-year student, she was part of an exchange program with the belgian school KUNST!HUMANIORA.

As a professional dancer, she was part of CeDeCe – Companhia de Dança Contemporânea (trainee dancer), North Dance Company (lead dancer), Vortice Dance Company (lead dancer) and CDA – Companhia de Dança de Aveiro (guest dancer). She toured national and internationally, highlighting the performances at the Ibero-American Artistic Festival MOV'S and at the Festival Teatro Gayarre (Spain), the opening of the Opera & Ballet Season of Teatro Comunale di Bolzano (Italy) and the presentation at the XVII International Ballet Festival of Miami (EUA). During her artistic path, she had the privilege of working with choreographers such as Thaddeus Davis, Jonathan Hollander, Iolanda Rodrigues, Daniel Cardoso and Jochen Heckmann. She also worked as a rehearsal assistance in a co-production with the Macedonian Opera Ballet (MOB).

Maria started teaching dance as part of pedagogical programs developed by the companies she worked with, and then independently in various schools (Escola de Artes, WestSideStudio, Redbridge School, UDance, etc.), including at the school where she was trained (ADCS). She holds a yoga instructor certification from the European Association of Oriental Therapies (AETO), which informs her holistic approach to movement.

Nowadays Maria directs and teaches in the project Our Mother Tongue, aiming to open the participants to explore the universal somatic language of dance, movement, and creation.

Over the years, based on the knowledge of several movement techniques/forms and the experience gained from working with children, adults and groups with physical limitations, she has developed a teaching practice based on sensibility, awareness and acceptance, which encourages self-discovery through the body.

In 2018, she completed her law degree at Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FDUNL). Between September 2024 and February 2025, she worked as a collaborator of the direction of the creative platform Estúdios Victor Córdon (OPART - EVC).

Along her way, Maria found further training programs that profoundly shaped her personal and artistic vision, such as the workshop at NDT - Nederlans Dans Theater (Oct 2010), the exploration of Butoh (Nov 2024), and, more recently, the participation in the Pina Bausch Repertoy LAB’24 (Dec 2024).

Maria created the group piece “(sinestesia)” and co-created the duet “Wonderlust”.

In 2025, she premiered her solo creation “LIBERTAÇÃO-LIBERATION”.

She believes in the transformative power of Art and that excellence starts in integrity.

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maria ana diogo