Born in 1956 in Sao Paolo, where she studies classical Ballet and History à the Sao Paolo (USP) University, she is involved in the 70’s in the contemporary dance movement and was in the Maguy Marin dance Company from 1980 to 1982.
When she returns, she creates the Lia Rodrigues Companhia de Danças, in 1990, in Rio de Janeiro with activities all the year round, dance laboratories, creations, classes and rehearsals. In 1992 she creates and runs for forteen years the Panorama Festival, the most important Festival in Rio de Janeiro..
Since 2004, her Company is involved in developing educational and artistic activities in the Maré Favela in Rio de Janeiro, in partnership with with the non governmental Organisation Redes de Desenvolvimento da Maré. From this collaboration was born the Centro de Artes da Maré (Arts Center of Maré) opened since 2009 and the Escola livre de Danças da Maré (Free School of Maré) that has opened in October 2011. During 40 years of professional and artistitic life, the choreographer Lia Rodrigues has dedicated herself not only to training and artistic creation with touring and commissioning from the majors capitals in the world but also to Education with workshops and seminars all over the world. Mixing militancy and utopias , she believes in the synergy between the Art and the social processes.
She was awarded by the French government with the medal of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 2016 with the SACD Price for Choreography ; in the Netherlands with the Prince Claus Award in 2014.
In France, she created in 2005 one of the La Fontaine fable and in 2007 Hymnen, music by Stockhausen for the CCN Ballet de Lorraine. Among her most recent pieces we can quote Such Stuff as we are made (2000), Formas Breves (2002), Incarnat (2005), Chantiers Poétiques (2008), Pororoca (2009), Piracema ( 2011), Pindorama ( 2013) and Para que o Céu nao caia (For the Sky not to fall) 2016.