Bruno Duarte

Carla Albuquerque

Carla studied classical dance from the age of seven working under the tutelage of several teachers including Michèle Destréez, Patrick Hurde, Ruth Silk and Mark de Graef. She went on to study modern dance, jazz, tap and contemporary dance. She’s taken part in various complementary training courses in dance including Estágio Internacional de Dança de Lisboa, 14th Barbara Fewster Internship in England, Stage-Danse Monpellier, Master's Class in France amongst others. In 1998 she entered Escola Superior de Dança, Lisbon, where she completed her degree in Dance-Branch of Education in June 2002. Since then she’s given lessons in Classical and Creative Dance and Music and Movement for babies in several schools, having held the post of Director of Education at the Academia de Dança de Lisboa between September 2003 and July 2005. She’s participated in several courses and seminars dedicated to dance education in school and pre-school age including a Pedagogic Internship headed by Professor Alain Davesne, president of Association Française des Maîtres de Dance Classique, Movement Improvisation and Rhythm with Edwin Gordon and Dance in Compulsory Education, supervised by Maurizio Padovan.

Inês Barros

She began her dance studies at Academia de Dança de Alcobaça (2011-2019). Over 8 years she developed Classical Dance, Modern Dance and Contemporary Dance techniques. In 2019/20 she joined ProjectoQuorum having performed pieces by Lua Carreira and Miguel Ramalho. In 2020, she joined the young company InTranzYt Cia, performing pieces by Ana Casquilho, Fábio Lopez, Cristina Pereira and Vasco Macide, Tiago Manquinho, Ayano Tatekawa and Miguel Esteves. In 2023, she joins the Companhia de Dança de Almada.

Inês Coimbra

Is Master in Dance Education and has a degree in Dance (2019) from Escola Superior de Dança (ESD) of Lisbon. She started her dance path at age 6, in Ballet, and in 2010 she joined the Vocational Course at Almada Dance Company school, Ca.DA Escola, which she completed in 2018. As part of her degree, she worked with Barbara Griggi, Sylvia Rijmer, Amélia Bentes, Vitor Garcia, Catarina Câmara, Francisco Pedro, Cristina Graça, Maria Ramos, Jácome Filipe, and Madalena Xavier, among others. She participated in the Erasmus+ program in the University of Chichester. She danced in the project "Compota à solta", with Paula Pinto (2018) and in "A Filha do Tambor-Mor", at Teatro São Luiz (2019). She began her professional career in the same year, as part of an internship at Companhia de Dança de Almada, in which she worked with choreographer Bruno Duarte on the pieces "Fobos" and "Inverno". Currently, she teaches Contemporary Dance Technique and Creative Expression at Ca.DA Escola.

Lúcia Salgueiro

Born in Almada, began her training in ballet and contemporary dance at the dance school of Companhia de Dança de Almada. In 2018, she completed the secondary education of the Dancer Training Course of Academia de Dança Contemporânea de Setúbal - with a main focus on classical dance and Graham's modern dance techniques - where she also joined the Pequena Companhia/Little Company, highlighting her work as an interpreter in choreographies by Élson Marlon Ferreira, Inês Pedruco and Iolanda Rodrigues. In 2018 she moved to London to attend the contemporary dance course at the London Contemporary Dance School, finishing it with merit [BA (Hons)] in 2021. Highlights are the choreographies of her last year of course, “Dream Deprivation” by Yukiko Matsui and “Omniscient-Ego / Spiral / Law of Attraction” by Kloé Dean.

Luís Pulido

Born in 1978, he formally began his musical studies at Academia de Amadores de Música de Lisboa in 1999, where he completed the Basic Guitar Course and the disciplines of Musical Training and Analysis and Composition Techniques of the High School Course. At the same time, he graduated in Teachers of Music Education for Basic Education at Escola Superior de Educação de Setúbal. He attended classical guitar master classes with Dejan Ivanovic and Eduardo Isaac, and the Composition Course at Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. He is a freelance classical guitar teacher and since 2004 has taught music education.

Maria Franco

Born in Almada, Maria began her training in Spanish dance with Célia Neves. In 1975 she attended the Escola de Bailado da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon. In 1979 she graduated from the Conservatório Nacional. She won a scholarship from the Secretaria de Estado da Cultura, in 1986, to study in the USA. She participated in several contemporary dance, Jazz Composition and Improvisation workshops in Portugal and abroad, the highlights of which were working with Stephan Petronio, Carolyn Carlson, Malou Airaud, Zeca Nunes, (ACARTE), Peter Gross, Joseph Russillono, Richard Levi, Michele Kadison, Joe Canteri, Jennifer Muller and Lenny Williams. She attended the seminars for teachers promoted by Escola Superior de Dança, with Barbara Fewster, Director of the Royal Ballet School, obtaining diplomas from the 1st to 8th courses, (O.B.E. - F.I.S.T.D). She has a diploma from the Imperial Classical Ballet School. Maria was a dancer with Grupo Experimental de Dança Jazz and Companhia de Dança de Lisboa. From 1976 to 1998 she taught in Academia Almadense in Almada, where she formed and drove the artistic professional career of numerous young people with the creation in 1990 of Grupo de Dança de Almada, currently Companhia de Dança de Almada. Maria was on the faculty of Estúdio Escola de Dança Clássica Anna Mascolo, (1981-1983). She taught and took over the direction of vocational training courses in Companhia de Dança de Lisboa, (1986-1988). She was on the faculty of Ginásio Clube Português, directing the Jazz dance class, (1984-2013). Since 1990 she’s organised various training activities, internships and workshops for children, youth and adults. In 1998 Maria founded the school of Companhia de Dança de Almada, Ca.DA Escola, of which she is director and teacher.

Maria José Bernardino

Maria was born in Almada in 1971. In 1983 she began her dance training in Academia Almadense under Teresa Resende and Maria Franco. In 1985 she entered integrated vocational training courses in the dance school of Companhia de Dança de Lisboa. (Lisbon Dance Company). From 1990 to 1999 she was a dancer with Companhia de Dança de Almada, the highlights of which were working with Clara Andermatt, Amélia Bentes, Jordi Cortés Molina and Peter Michael Dietz. In 1994 she attended a theatrical initiation course and performed in and co-created all of Maria João Garcia pieces until 1998. As an independent dancer she took part in "Dança com Lorca", ("Dancing with Lorca"), a work by Yolanda Alves and the "Empty Box" project along with Cláudia Dias and Maria João Garcia. She was a dancer with Associação Cultural Ninho de Víboras. Since 1999 she’s teaches Creative, Classical and Contemporary dance at Ca.DA Escola, from Companhia de Dança de Almada.

Raquel Tavares

Born in Lisbon, she is Master in Dance Education and has a degree in Creation / Interpretation (2010/13) from Escola Superior de Dança of Lisbon. Started her career in Classical Dance when she was 7 years old, performing several levels of the Royal Academy of Dance method. From 2013 to 2015 she held 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. At the same time, she attended the Quorum Project, where she danced pieces by Daniel Cardoso, São Castro, Inês Godinho, Jácome Filipe, and held technical classes with Cláudia Sampaio and Margarida Belo Costa. In 2015 she presented the solo "Campo Estreito. Minado de Sombras", at BlackBox of CCB and in 2016, at the 24th Quinzena de Dança de Almada. Also in 2015, she worked with Benvindo Fonseca, making an excerpt from the play "Edzer". In 2016, she interned and taught repertoire classes at Companhia Olga Roriz, during the creation "Antes Que Matem Os Elefantes". In the same year, she joined the project Contraste, of the Associação Poveira Nós da Dança, where she danced choreographies by Benvindo da Fonseca and Gonçalo Lobato. Since 2017, she has been a dancer at the Companhia de Dança de Almada, where she danced pieces by Bruno Duarte, Luís Marrafa, Margarida Belo Costa, Luís Malaquias, Julia Ehrstrand, Martxel Rodriguez and Jon López, having participated in national and international tours. As a teacher, she started her career in 2013, teaching at various schools of classical dance, contemporary dance, creative dance, choreographic composition and repertoire at Companhia Olga Roriz (2016). She has been a teacher at Ca.DA Escola since 2020.

Rita Judas

Rita trained at has a degree from Escola de Dança do Conservatório Nacional and Escola Superior de Dança, Lisbon. She began her career as a dancer in UPE Dança in1987, with the choreographer Vasco Wallenkamp. She was a dancer and choreographer with Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contemporâneo, (1998-2007) and was responsible for the educational programs of the company from 2001 to 2006. As a dancer and co-choreographer, she participated in the Companhia CIM, (Companhia Integrada Multidisciplinar), project in collaboration with Associação VO'Arte and the Associação Portuguesa de Paralisia Cerebral. Rita participated in the BY-PASS project, (a workshop of Architecture in dialogue with the body in motion), under the direction of Rui Horta in Portugal and Germany. She was a teacher of Creative Movement and Contemporary Dance in the creation project of Centro de Experimentação Artística do Vale da Amoreira. She’s currently helping train youngsters in Centro Juvenil do Monte da Caparica and is a teacher in primary schools and of dance.

Susana Matos
Born in Lisbon, she began her dance studies at the age of 6 with Vera Varela Cid and later with Igor Ivanoff. Between 1986 and 1990, she attended the Training Course for Dance Professionals at Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and in 1990 she started in the dance school of the National Conservatory, completing her training in 1992, the year in which she joined the artistic cast of Companhia Nacional de Bailado (CNB).
She has a Master's degree in Dance Teaching (2021) and a Degree in Dance Education, from Escola Superior de Dança (2001). In 2013 she completed the Royal Academy of Dance Course (CBTS) in Ballet Teaching Studies.
In addition to her activity as a dancer at CNB, over the years she has taught Classical Dance Technique, Pointe Work and Repertoire in several schools and dance academies, and was a Guest Assistant in the discipline of Classical Dance Technique, Vocabulary Analysis, Educational Practices and Physical Condition at Escola Superior de Dança between 2018 and 2023. She has participated in the CNB Aproximação à Dança (Approach to Dance) Programme, with Masterclasses. Since January 2022 she acted as a guest teacher at Companhia Quorum Ballet, and since April 2023 in Classic Dance Technique classes at Estúdios Victor Córdon.

Susana Rosendo

Susana was born in 1980 and began her dance training under the RAD method. She attended the school of Conservatório Nacional and was taught by Maria Franco. With a degree in Childhood Education, she has worked in various kindergartens as a team leader. She attended the first and second edition of the Training Course for Classical Dance Teachers, organized by Estudios Vítor Cordon and Professor Luísa Carles in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, she received training and certification in the Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) method. She is currently undertaking a Post-Graduation in Dance Training at the Faculdade de Motricidade Humana. In Companhia de Dança de Almada, she participated in several artistic projects as a dancer and teacher and has taught body expression workshops for children. Aside from this, she is an instructor in holiday camps, party and events coordinator, and has developed various projects with different entities such as Zarabatana and Praznik. She received training in the ABA method, having worked with children in the autism spectrum. For seven years, in partnership with music teacher Maria João Costa, she has been developing music and movement workshops for babies for the school A Casa da Dança. She currently teaches dance classes for children, youth, and seniors at Ca.DA School and organizes movement workshops in the school community, IPSS and Associations that support youth and adults with disabilities. In 2017, together with Ângela Ribeiro, she created EmbalArte, a theater group for babies and early childhood, with the piece “De Lés a Lés Saberás Quem És”, for which she also created “As voltas que a Terra da” in 2019 and "Do pé para a mão" in 2020.