Art Happens

Marco da Silva Ferreira created Bisonte as artist in residence at Teatro Municiapal do Porto – then run by choreographer Tiago Guedes. In the performance he questions the inner and sensitive “me”. The dancers try to be part of a group, without losing their own identity and without being put in a defining box. Like the bison, they have a rough exterior to shield themselves from the outside world, but they are vulnerable on the inside. Bisonte is a personal attempt to come to one’s own vulnerable core. Da Silva Ferreira identifies a certain hyper-masculine attitude among young people in the big cities. At the same time, an important part of the current generation identifies itself as feminist and queer. What do we see today as masculine? What do we see as feminine? What does that say about the way we think about the body, gender and power?

Bisonte is a ring of hysteria and melancholy where life is a waltz and dance is there for the taking – and it takes everyone to tango. A persistent pulse sets the pace beneath the echoes of melodies from what is hidden within us. Gender is faded, making room for a gritty, vulnerable and beautiful existence.