Paula Higa is a Brazilian-born American choreographer and dancer who has been creating dances, teaching, and performing for more than 30 years between Brazil and the USA. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor and Resident choreographer in the School of the Arts - Theater & Dance Program. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and a B.S in Chemical Engineering (Brazil), a certification in PBT - Progressing Ballet Technique, and lots of experience within the performing arts.

She is the founder and artistic director of PHD – Paula Higa Dance. As a performer, she danced in the works of Mark Morris, Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Larry Keigwin, Jennifer Monson, Tiffany Rhynard, Laurel Jenkins, Clare Byrne, among others. Her work was presented at Triskelion Arts in NYC, Boston, Texas, Central United States, and Brazil.

She is the recipient of the NEFA - New England Dance Fund Grant, UVM - Coor Collaborative Fellows Award, Vermont Community Foundation - Artist Grant, Vermont Arts Council, OVPR Express Grant, and UVM Faculty Development Grant for the Arts.  Accolades include the Best Screendance in Los Angeles, Genres and Performances Film Festival in Aveiro, Portugal, Diorama International Film Festival in India, 2022 Nukhufest in NYC, and the ARFF - Around International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany.

Paula Higa in the news:

• 04/27/21, UVM Department of Theatre and Dance Faculty member Paula Higa was awarded a Bronze Medal for her dance film, The One I Wanted to Be by the Independent Shorts Awards (ISA), an international film festival.
• 02/05/20, "Vermont Choreographers Accept Challenge to Create New Work in a Month"

UVM dance lecturer Paula Higa's duet found inspiration in two poems by early 20th-century Portuguese poet Florbela Espanca. Titled "The Woman That I Would Like to Be," the piece deals with themes of violence against women and will be danced by members of Higa's company, Paula Higa Dance 

"It's very aggressive in terms of movement. I want to show the kind of violence that we suffer in daily life," in physical, emotional and other realms, Higa said. The piece works with a duality, she continued: "Are you the woman who is experiencing the violence, or are you the angry woman? The characters, the dancers, switch places."

• 12/12/19, "Paula Higa to appear with Daniel Bernard Roumain in Flynn Theatre Student Matinee Series"
• 2019, Paula Higa is awarded a New England Foundation for the Arts Grant.
• 4/12/19, "Paula Higa certified in Progressing Ballet Technique"
• 12/13/16, "Paula Higa premiers master's thesis project on dystonia and dance"

Awards and Grants
• Paula Higa was awarded a Bronze Medal for her dance film, The One I Wanted to Be by the Independent Shorts Awards (ISA), an international film festival.
• Paula Higa was awarded the Coor Collaborative Fellowship Award by the UVM Humanities Center in support of her and Jenn Karson's project, Intermedia + Technology.
• Paula Higa receives a New England Foundation for the Arts Grant to support the creation of Urbano a new work that will focus on the urban environment and the impact that big cities can cause on an individual's life.
• Paula Higa receives the Vermont Community Foundation Grant to support her dance film The One I Wanted to Be
• Paula Higa receives the Vermont Arts Councils - Artist Development Grant to support her dance film Holding the Center Still in collaboration with visual artist Debra Weisberg
• Paula Higa receives the Vermont Community Foundation Grant to support her project The Migrant Body