Photograph (crop) from the collection of José Saramago Foundation on Flickr. Authorized use.
Creations by Raquel Tavares | Mariana Dias | Beatriz Lourenço
Presentation on the 1st and 15th October, at Casa da Cerca - Centro de Arte Contemporânea and at José Saramago Municipal Library, in Almada
This program, curated and produced by Companhia de Dança de Almada, aims to support young artists committed to choreographic creation. It will consist of 3 pieces inspired by the writings of José Saramago, to be presented in different informal spaces. The project, unified by the reappropriation and reinterpretation of the author's universe in personalized visions, was based on a proposal by the Municipal Library Network of Almada and embraced by the direction of the Ca.DA.
In this context, it will be presented:
“Antonius Adalfuns”, by Raquel Tavares, inspired by a text from the work “O Homem Duplicado” (The duplicated man)
Starting from the perspective that life results from the sum of all our choices, the aim is to create a duet that reflects the various possibilities of choice that each of us has, how these possibilities and choices influence, and, yet, how the paralyzing and frenetic fears dull our perception.
“Jornada coabitada”, by Mariana Dias, based on the work “As Pequenas Memórias” (Small Memories)
Protopoema: "Do novelo emaranhado da memória, da escuridão dos nós cegos, puxo um fio que me aparece solto. / Devagar o liberto de medo que se desfaça entre os dedos. / (...) / É um rio. / Corre-me nas mãos, agora molhadas.” José Saramago
Created by: Mariana Dias
Performed by: Carolina Sendim
“Solo Quase”, by Beatriz Lourenço, about the work “Objeto Quase” (Quasi-object)
Starting from “Objecto Quase”, by José Saramago, “Solo Quase”, just like the book and its parts, becomes descriptive of the act of movement, as a quasi-object, as almost something more than just an object. A solo that talks about everything but the solo. A solo that is the collection of different parts of "Objeto Quase", but also of different reflections of what it is to be alone, to be solo, to embrace solo. With the voice and support of Ricardo Santos Silva in this creation, arises the notion that a solo that lives sharing will never be a solo.
"Protoretrato", about the work “As Pequenas Memórias” (Teh Small Memories)
Reconstructive power of the memory. 1, 2, 3, from now on I will be a different person. Memories. There is no explanation for them, we did not summon them, but they are there.
Concept and interpretation: Bárbara Gomes, Eva Aguilar and Mariana Dias
Choreography: Mariana Dias
Original Music: Eva Aguilar
Text: Bárbara Gomes, based on José Saramago’s “As Pequenas Memórias”.
Costumes: Bárbara Gomes, Eva Aguilar, Mariana Dias
Raquel Tavares, born in Lisbon, began her career in classical dance when she was 7 years old, performing various levels of the Royal Academy of Dance method (from Grade 3 to Advanced). Her contact with contemporary dance began when she joined Escola Superior de Dança, where she graduated in Creation / Interpretation (2010/2013). From 2013 to 2015 she followed the Olga Roriz - Dance/Theater Training, where she had contact with Olga Roriz, Sylvia Rijmer, Magalie Lanriot, Catarina Câmara, Paulo Reis, Marta Lobato, Maria Cerveira, among others. Simultaneously, she attended the Quorum project where she danced pieces by Daniel Cardoso, São Castro, Inês Godinho, Jácome Filipe, and took technical classes with Cláudia Sampaio and Margarida Belo Costa. As a freelance performer, she worked with Benvindo Fonseca (2015 and 2017) and Gonçalo Lobato (2017), and also worked as an intern at Companhia Olga Roriz (2016). She has been part of the cast of Companhia de Dança de Almada since January 2017, having the opportunity to work with several choreographers such as: Bruno Duarte, Inês Pedruco, Luís Marrafa, Luís Malaquias, Margarida Belo Costa, Julia Ehrstrand, Martxel Rodriguez and Jon López, and to perform in national and international tours. She has created and performed some choreographic pieces, including her solos "Campo Estreito. Minado de Sombras" (2015 and 2016) and "Corpo Sem Órgãos" (2017), participating in the International Platform for Choreographers of the 24th and 25th editions of Quinzena de Dança de Almada. She recently created the piece “Gifted” (2021) for Companhia de Dança de Almada. As a teacher, she started in 2013, teaching classical dance, contemporary dance, creative dance and choreographic composition at various schools, and repertoire at Companhia Olga Roriz (2016). She has been a teacher at the Ca.DA Escola since 2020. She is currently completing a Masters in Dance Teaching – 10th edition at Escola Superior de Dança.
Mariana Dias has a degree in Dance (2021), from Escola Superior de Dança (ESD), in Lisbon. She started her dance training at Ca.DA School / Companhia de Dança de Almada. She was an Erasmus student at Stockholm University of the Arts (DOCH), having joined the third year class of the Dance Performance course. She co-created with Beatriz Lourenço the play "VIAGEM", presented in 2017 at the festival Quinzena de Dança de Almada, and with Rafael Pinto the play "Em Laivo", presented at the Biennale Tanzausbildung, Hamburg, at Metadança Festival, Leiria, and at LUGAR FUTURO Festival, Viseu, in 2020. In the same year, she was a dancer in "O cansaço dos seres", by João Fernandes, presented at Metadança Festival, in Leiria. In 2021, she started an internship at Ca.DA and participated in an intensive Flying Low and Passing Through course with David Zambrano. Recently, in 2022, she was a dancer in Húmus, from COMPOTA Artistic Residence.
Beatriz Lourenço is a Master's student in Culture Studies and Management at ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, and has a degree in Dance (2021) from Escola Superior de Dança (ESD), in Lisbon. In 2012 she began her artistic training in Dance at Ca.DA Escola - Companhia de Dança de Almada, where she completed the Vocational Course in 2018. She attended the Visual Arts Course at António Arroio Secondary Artistic School (Lisbon) and at the Anselmo de Andrade Secondary School (Almada). In her dance training, she highlights the following teachers: Bruno Duarte, Maria Franco, Carla Albuquerque, Gonçalo Lobato, Rita Judas, Maria José Bernardino, Sylvia Rijmer, Rita Vilhena, Amélia Bentes, Maria Ramos and João Fernandes. As a performer, she underlines the work developed with Joana Borges in “Dust” (2021); with João Fernandes in “O Cansaço dos Seres” (2020); with Maria José Bernardino in “Optima” (2019), in “Regresso” (2018) and in “O Muro” (2017); and with Bruno Duarte in “Dentro do Abraço” (2016). As a creator, she highlights the pieces “Edictum”, in co-creation with Inês Costa, and presented in an artistic residency at RA100 Arroios, in 2020; “Unfold 0.1” piece in which she was the creator and iperformer, for the inauguration of the exhibition "Ver de Fazer" (2019); and “Viagem”, presented at the 25th international dance festival Quinzena de Dança de Almada, where she was a performer and co-creator alongside with Mariana Dias (2017). She is currently developing “TAMBÉM é tEU”, in co-creation with Rafael Pinto and Catarina Marques, in a project with the support of ESD and Victor Córdon Studios. As a teacher, she has taught Improvisation at Ca.DA Escola since since 2020, and Choreographic Studio since 2021.
Bárbara Gomes, joined ACT-Escola de Atores in 2019, where she is currently attending the third and final year of the course. She took classes with Beatriz Batarda, Sara Vaz, Nuno Nunes, Vítor Hugo Pontes, among others. She developed projects within the school environment and integrated the project École des Maîtres, at National Theatre Dona Maria II, in 2021. She studied Audiovisual and Multimedia at ESCS – Escola Superior de Comunicação Social, where, despite not having finished the course, she discovered an interest in editing and directing.
Eva Aguilar, studied cello with Luís Sá Pessoa and composition with Daniel Schvetz at the Music School of the National Conservatory (Lisbon). She is currently studying Composition at Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, with Jaime Reis and Carlos Caires. At the same time, she studies singing with Joana Nascimento and is a member of the Youth Choir of the University of Lisbon, directed by Erica Mandillo, having participated in productions with the Orquestra and the Gulbenkian Choir, choral festivals in Vesoul, Turin, Basel, Strasbourg/Zurich and concerts at Casa da Música, CCB, Teatro São Luiz, O’Culto da Ajuda, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (with pianist Maria João Pires). In 2021, she had pieces played at Festival Dialogues (Edinburgh), Festival Música Viva, Festival DME and was part of the collective BoCA Sub 21- Biennial of Contemporary Arts. She was recently selected by the Divertimento Ensemble to write a work to be premiered at the Festival Rondò 2022 in Milan.
