Graciela Martínez Arribas was born in Madrid in 1982, where she studied at the Conservatorio Profesional de Danza from 1989 to 2002. In 1998, she won her first prize as a dancer at the Torrelavega National Competition, and in 1999, she won first prize at the Zaragoza International Competition. In 2001, she received a scholarship to dance with the Ballet des Jeunes d'Europe in Aix-en-Provence, under the direction of Jean Charles Gil. In 2002, after obtaining her degree, she joined the English National Ballet in London.

She later joined the Leipzig Theatre Ballet, directed by Uwe Scholz. In 2004, she signed her first contract as a soloist with the Nice Opera Ballet.

In 2007, she worked under the direction of Richard Wherlock at the Basel Ballet, and later joined the Aterballetto/Fondazione Nazionale della Danza ensemble, directed by Cristina Bozzolini and Mauro Bigonzetti. In 2011, she was engaged by the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich. Throughout her career, she has worked with choreographers such as Mauro Bigonzetti, Ohad Naharin, Uwe Scholz, Mauricio Wainrot, Karl Schreiner, Hans Henning Paar, Erna Ómarsdóttir, among others.

Thanks to this diversity of experiences, companies, and styles, Graciela has developed her own identity as a choreographer and teacher. She has lived in Switzerland since 2017.

She holds a degree in Choreography and Performing Arts from the Escuela Superior de Danza y Música in Madrid and currently teaches at institutions such as ASVZ ETH-Zurich, Tanzwerk 101, and Dancetown, among others.

In 2019, together with Neel Jansen, she received support from Bühne Aarau and the Aargauer Kuratorium, with which they founded their own company: Lit Dance Company.