As part of the DDD - Dias da Dança Festival, Vera Mantero & Cúmplices present ‘C.C. (Crematística e Contraforça)’ at the Rivoli.

Multiplicity, Counterforce, Dual Citizenship, Junction of Opposites, Incandescence, Enchantment, Symbol: words that are now almost mantras, notions that have been pulsating through the processes undertaken by Vera Mantero and her guests since 2021, from the piece “The Fright is a Whole World”, through “A small composition exercise” (2023) and more recently “__ groundsky |”(2024). These works create frictions between different categories, oscillations between different spheres, incandescences at the crossroads of different domains, and place us on the threshold of the unconscious, allowing us to almost enter the world of dreams. Abstract figures and symbols cross paths with common everyday actions, bodies transmute at the intersection with objects and the poetic word. It is in these intersections and counterforces that our capacity for change is rehearsed, the translation of a destructive energy into an energy of openness and stripping away.

On World Dance Day, Balleteatro celebrates the art of movement with two shows at the Coliseu Porto Ageas.

At 9pm, Entra a Duzentos Sai a Cem brings together the Senior Group from the Monte Pedral Centre and the 2nd year dance students from the Balleteatro Escola Profissional, directed by Carlos Silva, in a sensitive reflection on secrecy and its many facets.

It's a show that brings two generations face to face, this time in a sharing that's almost blown in your ear, like the secret.

On the same evening, Party once again brings the energy of the 2nd year dance students from the Balleteatro Escola Profissional. Inspired by the play ‘Vertigo 20’, they explore new choreographic possibilities in an intense and vibrant performance, directed by Susana Manso.

An evening of celebration and encounter between generations through dance.

Free entry subject to capacity.

As part of DDD, Sónia Baptista is presenting KING SIZE today and tomorrow at the Constantino Nery Municipal Theatre in Matosinhos, a show that confronts the creative devices of contemporary drag performances with the rigid codes of gender representation in traditional dance and theatre, highlighting the differences between what is natural and what is a cultural or scenic construction.

‘Drag subverts gender roles, reinforcing the theatrical aspects of these interpretations, but it is also a form of social criticism and a means of artistic expression. KING SIZE aims to analyse how masculinity is constructed, focusing on figures who embody masculine myths as well as their parodic revisions.’

Also as part of the DDD, to see and feel at the Campo Alegre Theatre, in its national premiere, e nunca as minhas mãos estão vazias [and my hands are never empty], Cristian Duarte's new creation with the company. The title refers to a line from the poem Apesar das ruínas e da morte, by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, recited by Maria Bethânia.

‘The work confronts a reality marked by inequalities, proposing the strength and diversity of the collective as a sensitive response. (...) In a Brazil of constant transformations, the work proposes a look at how to be together in difference and reaffirm life in the face of adversity.’

Also as part of DDD, at Teatro Campo Alegre, we can see the new work by the famous choreographer William Forsythe, co-produced by La Biennale di Venezia, in collaboration with Rauf ‘Rubberlegz’ Yasit, Lex Ishimoto, Julia Weiss, Brigel Gjoka and the JA Collective (Aidan Carberry and Jordan Johnson).

‘The piece explores the roots and origins of folk dance, hip-hop and ballet, showing the diversity of experiences and languages of the dancers through their physical communication on stage. In a fascinating dialogue, the dancers explore the similarities and differences of their dance styles, celebrating each style's unique way of approaching and evolving.

Friends of Forsythe celebrates the diversity of dance cultures, the profound language of dance and the notion of unity.’