Dancer
Paula Sousa is a Chicago-based Brazilian dance artist working in choreography, performance, and visual arts. She holds degrees from the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD) in Austria and the Bolshoi School in Brazil, and has collaborated with artists across Europe, South America, and the U.S. She is a former company member of Balé do Teatro Guaíra (2017–2022), Projeto Mov_oLA | Alex Soares (2013–2017), Plataforma Shop Sui (2017), and Arsenale della Danza at La Biennale di Venezia (2012). Since joining Hedwig Dances in 2023, she has worked with choreographers such as Natasha Adorlee, Mike Tyus, Jenna Pollack, Rigo Saura, Noelle Keyser, Anna Sapozhnikov, and Jan Bartoszek. She also serves as an assistant Rehearsal Director for the company. In Chicago, she has further collaborated with Jessi Stegall, Chih-Jou Cheng, and Jenna Pollack. As a choreographer, Paula creates for both stage and film, with recent commissions from Hedwig Dances, Dance in the Parks, Ruth Page Civic Ballet Training Company, Noumenon Dance Ensemble, and Illinois State University. She also holds a degree in Public Policy and Administration and works in cultural production.