The Portuguese choreographer and dancer, Marco da Silva Ferreira, nominated for The Rose Award 2024 at Sadler’s Wells, will première in Spain a modern dance show on masculinity and patriarchy on 14, 15 and 16 November as part of the 43rd Autumn Festival.
It is a show that delves further into the exploration of masculinity that commenced with Carcaça (2022) and Bisonte (2024). Formerly a professional swimmer, da Silva Ferreira got involved in the world of dance through urban styles, such as hip hop, popping, breakdance and house dance, and later went on to include influences from contemporary dance, ballet, Portuguese folklore and the world of nightclubs in his work.
In this production, a group of eight dancers, including the choreographer himself, embody different male archetypes, ranging from queer figures to macho stereotypes, on a square stage that is reminiscent of a boxing ring. The show addresses issues, such as militarisation, virility, violence and patriarchy, while also alluding to the Portuguese dictatorship and advocating dance as a subversive tool against the control of bodies.
With a mixture of African urban dances and Portuguese folklore, Marco da Silva Ferreira presents a vision of the future that does not seek naive consensus, but rather confronts patriarchal power structures head on and exposes their cracks.
Born in Santa María Da Feira (Portugal) in 1986, Marco is one of today’s leading stars of modern dance in Portugal. He rose to fame on the television contest So You Think You Can Dance? in 2004, and went on to triumph at the Eurobattle 2009, Europe's leading hip hop tournament.
He then decided to venture into contemporary dance and started working with various groups, joining Hofesh Shechter's Shelters project in 2012. However, he also created his first show in 2012, which was a huge success at the Lyon Biennial, the Portuguese Materiais Diversos festival and the Théâtre des Abbesses in Paris.
Artistic File:
Venue: Teatros del Canal – Sala Verde
- Artistic Director and Choreographer - Marco da Silva Ferreira
- Artistic and Dramaturgy Assistants - Catarina Miranda and Cristina Planas Leitã
- Performers - Catarina Casqueiro, Eríc Amorim dos Santos, Fábio Kraye, Doisy Bryan, Marco da Silva Ferreira, Matias Rocha Moura, Max Makowski and Nala Revlon
- Performer (residency) - Piny
- Performer (in training) - José Santos
- Music - Rui Lima and Sérgio Martins
- Lighting - Teresa Antunes and Rui Monteiro
- Co-production - Maison de la danse, Lyon / Pôle Européen de Création, with the support of the Lyon Biennial (France); Sadler's Wells (United Kingdom); Charleroi Danse, Walloon Choreographic Centre - Brussels (Belgium); Teatro Municipal do Porto (Portugal); PACT Zollverein (Germany); Points Communs - Nouvelle Scène Nationale de Cergy-Pontoise / Val d’Oise (France); Chaillot National Theatre (France); Julidans Amsterdam (Netherlands); TANDEM Scène Nationale (France); La Place de la Danse – CDCN Toulouse / Occitania (France); Tanz im August / HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Germany)
- Support - Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
- Residency Partners - Espaço do Tempo; A Oficina (Vila-Flor Cultural Centre); Teatro Municipal do Porto; CRL – Central Elétrica
- Production Director - Mafalda Bastos
- Production Assistant: - Ana Lopes
- Production Structure - P‑ulsa
- Dissemination - ART HAPPENS
Approximate Duration: 1 hour
