Clara Marchana

Clara Marchana is a PhD student in Human Motricity, specialising in Dance, at the Faculty of Human Motricity of the University of Lisbon, and a member of the Dance Studies research group at INET-md. She holds a Master’s degree in Arts – Choreography from Codarts University of the Arts (Rotterdam) and Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts (Tilburg), and a Bachelor’s degree in Dance from the Lisbon School of Dance, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre from the Lisbon Theatre and Film School.

She is the founder and artistic director of Madrasta Dance (Cultural Association) and created C.A.R.MA. – Madrasta’s Artistic and Rural House, located in central Portugal, where she develops original works in contemporary dance and interdisciplinary projects. Since 2021, she has been the artistic director of Arado – Festival of Dance and Performing Arts, dedicated to cultural decentralisation and to exploring the relationship between art, community, and territory.

Her career brings together creation, performance, and teaching in artistic, community, and educational settings. In 2020, she worked as a research fellow at Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. She is currently a teacher of specialised arts education and theatre at Casa Pia de Lisboa.

Her research focuses on the relationship between imagination, the body, and dance practices, exploring artistic methodologies and participatory processes in community contexts.