In the year when it is marked the centenary of the death of Franz Kafka, choreographer São Castro responded to the Companhia de Dança de Almada invitation for the creation of a new work, in which she proposed to combine the body and its expressive potential with the visceral and enigmatic narrative of the writer.

The title “The process of burning in reverse” is a metaphor for the default of Kafka’s last desire—that Max Brod would burn all his manuscripts after his death. Contrary to the author's will, his friend and confidant chose to preserve the writings and drawings, securing the impact of Kafka's work and perpetuating some of the most relevant works in the 20th century literature.

In São Castro's choreographic work, there has been constant attention and reflection on the relationship between word and body. In recent years, she has developed theoretical and practical research, through her creations, in order to analyze and explore methods of translating the word into the body, so that it manifests itself as visible speech.

A methodology that is designated as the embodiment of the word has been the focus in her creative processes, and simultaneously has revealed itself as a continuous search for communication processes in which the body is the protagonist and its movement enhances a non-verbal discourse that, even though it appears abstract - one of the characteristics associated with Dance - it has the capacity to reveal itself as a dramaturgical extension of the word.

It is following this research that she will turn to Kafka's works for this new piece, whose research and creation process was initiated in the Teatro Viriato, under the "mi casa tu casa" Creation Residence Program, followed by residence in Almada with the cast of dancers of the Companhia de Dança de Almada.

São Castro was a dancer in the Balleteatro, Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporâneo and Ballet Gulbenkian. In 2009, she began choreographing and since 2011, she has developed an artistic collaboration with choreographer and dancer António M Cabrita. with whom she created “Dido and Eneias” (2017) for the Companhia Nacional de Bailado. In 2015, the two choreographers were distinguished with the Authors Award - Best Choreography by Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores. Some of her pieces have been considered by the national press as one of the best dance performances of the year. In 2016 she created "The Art of Losing" for the Companhia de Dança de Almada.

“The process of burning in reverse” premieres on September 27 on the main stage of the Teatro Municipal Joaquim Benite, as part of the 32nd edition of the Quinzena de Dança de Almada - International Dance Festival.

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Sep. 9, 2024