From: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. LA Opera: Ainadamar (2025, debut).
Brazilian director and choreographer Deborah Colker studied classical piano and played volleyball before beginning dance in 1979, when she was a dancer in the Coringa group (led by the Uruguayan dancer and choreographer Graciela Figueroa, one of the precursors of contemporary dance in Brazil) for eight years. From 1984 to 1994, she was movement director for dozens of theatrical presentations, working with the most important stage directors in Brazil, in addition to working in cinema and advertising.
In 1994, she founded her own company, which in its almost 30 years of existence has traveled to more than 50 countries in all corners of the world. The Companhia de Dança Deborah Colker has gather public and critical acclaim, and has won numerous awards.
In 2001, she won the Olivier Award for outstanding achievement in dance. She was the first woman to create and direct a show for Cirque du Soleil, entitled Ovo. She was the director of movement for the opening of the 2016 Rio Olympics and has created performances for theaters in Europe. In 2018, she won the Prix Benois de la Danse for the show Cão Sem Plumas.
