Nadja Dias

Nadja Dias is a producer and consultant with over 20 years of international experience in dance and the performing arts. She has worked with organisations and artists including Candoco Dance Company, Sadler’s Wells, Nigel Charnock, Liverpool Biennale, Tanz! Heilbronn and Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele, and has collaborated with the Scottish artist Claire Cunningham as Executive Producer since 2014.

Since October 2023, she is Artistic Associate in the team of Claire Cunningham’s Einstein Professorship Choreography, Dance and Disability Arts, focusing on Accessible Producing Practice & Artistic Development within the research areas Choreography of Care and Aesthetics of Access.

As a consultant, she advises organisations and artists on Disability, Inclusive and Accessible Producing Practice and Artistic Development, supporting international projects and co-productions (including for Sadler’s Wells, Dachverband Tanz, ADK BW, British Council and Bureau Ritter). 

She has been a jury member for the National Performance Network (Dance, 2020–2025), mentor for the Migros Double Artist Mentoring Programme (2023/2024), and lecturer in Diversity & Inclusive Practice in Performing Arts at SUPSI. Nadja studied Theatre, Cultural Studies and Performing Arts Management.

Fields and interests of research

Nadja Dias’ work and research interests lie at the intersection of artistic practice, producing, and structural change. Her key focuses include Accessible Producing Practice, anti-ableist production methods, and the development of sustainable working structures within the performing arts.

Within the Einstein Professorship Choreography, Dance and Disability Arts, she works across the areas of Choreography of Care, Aesthetics of Access, and Artistic Development, connecting artistic research with project design, management, and organisational development.

Further areas of interest include project scoping and development, international co-productions, strategic development, and artist support. Through her work, she explores how inclusive, accessible production practices and access strategies can be embedded sustainably into artistic processes, education structures, and funding systems — shaping both the organisational and artistic dimensions of creative work leading to a more sustainable cultural sector.

Selected projects

• Executive & Creative Producer for Claire Cunningham (since 2014) – Development of sustainable organisational and production structures; planning and delivery of international co-productions and tours (including Manchester International Festival, Dance Umbrella London, Tanz im August Berlin, Perth Festival, Sadler’s Wells, and MCA Chicago). https://www.clairecunningham.co.uk/
• Producer – for organisations including Candoco Dance Company, Scottish Dance Theatre, Tanz! Heilbronn, Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele, and Sadler’s Wells; responsible for project and financial planning, international distribution, and the development of inclusive production models.
• Consultancy / Teaching / Mentoring – including Migros Kulturprozent (Double Artist Mentoring), Dachverband Tanz, KubiS Stuttgart, SUPSI, and Bureau Ritter/Next Steps; jury member for NPN Dance and Disframe by Migros Kulturprozent. (https://engagement.migros.ch/de/projekte/kulturfoerderung/disframe