In C A R C A Ç A a very diverse cast of ten dancers, including Marco da Silva Ferreira, and two musicians form an unconventional and joyful corps de ballet. The dancers perform complicated footwork that brings together standardised folk dances with contemporary urban dance styles that appear in cultures that have been or are considered minorities (for example, LGBTQIA+ communities or communities of the ex-colonies). In this choreography, Marco da Silva Ferreira uses dance as a tool to investigate communities, the construction of a collective identity, memory and cultural crystallisation. In other words, what if folk dances had not crystallised, had continued to redefine themselves, and had incorporated the present at every moment?
The cast explores their collective identity in a physical, intuitive and unpretentious flow of the body, dance and cultural construction. They start from familiar footwork, originating from clubbing, balls, cypher battles and the studio and they use the physical vocabulary of the contemporary, social, urban context as an identity lexicon (house, kuduro, Top Rock, hardStyle, etc.). Through a slow and structured construction process, they connect these styles with the legacy and memory of dances from the past. These standardised and unchanging folk dances remained stagnant and were unable to integrate new definitions of bodies, groups and communities that were considered a minority. For these groups, it was necessary to break with the authoritarian, totalitarian and paternalistic past. In C A R C A Ç A an exercise is proposed that integrates the past and the present. The performance encourages reflection: how do you decide what to forget and what to remember? What is the role of individual identities in the construction of a community? What is the driving force of an identity? What world traverses the individual and collective body? Or rather, which bodies traverse the world?
The intense, complex footwork in sneakers, does not only bring sound on stage, but also an exchange between kinetic, thermal and light energy. When the footwork becomes more powerful and rampant, these invisible energies become more apparent. The heat becomes visible on stage. To accompany and support the movement, a drum kit and an electronic set bring a live soundtrack accelerated to 145 BPM.
Artistic direction and choreography: Marco da Silva Ferreira
With: André Garcia, Fábio Krayze, Leo Ramos, Marc Oliveras Casas, Marco da Silva Ferreira, Maria Antunes, Max Makowski, Mélanie Ferreira, Nelson Teunis, Nala Revlon
Artistic assistance: Catarina Miranda
Light design: Cárin Geada
Sound and technical direction: João Monteiro
Music: João Pais Filipe and Luís Pestana (percussionist) (eletronic musician)
Costumes: Aleksandar Protic
Scenography: Emanuel Santos
Antropological studies: Teresa Fradique
Folklore dances: Joana Lopes
Production Direction: Mafalda Bastos
Executive Production: Mafalda Bastos and Joana Costa Santos
Production structure: Pensamento Avulso
Co-production: Teatro Municipal do Porto, Centro Cultural de Belém, Big Pulse Dance Alliance, co-produced by New Baltic Dance (Lt), Julidans (Nl), Tanz im August/HAU Hebbel am Ufer (De), Dublin Dance Festival (Ir) and ONE Dance Week (Bg), co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, Centre Chorégraphique National de Caen en Normandie, La briqueterie – CDCN du Val-de-Marne, Maison des arts de Créteil, KLAP- Maison pour la danse, CCN-Ballet National de Marseille, Charleroi danse, centre chorégraphique de Wallonie – Bruxelles, December Dance (Concertgebouw and Cultuurcentrum Brugge), La rose des vents – scène nationale Lille Métropole – Villeneuve d’Ascq, TANDEM Scène Nationale Arras-Douai
Support: República Portuguesa – Cultura, DGARTES – Direção Geral das Artes
Other partners Big Pulse Dance Alliance: Dance Umbrella (UK), Torinodanza (IT), Zodiak – Center for New Dance (FI), Sismògraf Dance Festival (ES) International Dance Festival TANEC PRAHA (CZ), CODA Oslo International Dance Festival (NO), Danscentrum Sverige (SE).
Artistic residencies: A Oficina, Ballet National de Marseille, Escola Superior de Dança, O Espaço do Tempo, Teatro Municipal do Porto
Diffusion: ART HAPPENS
| Date | Performance | City Country | Organisation/Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03.05.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Oslo (no) | Dansens Hus |
| 04.05.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Oslo (no) | Dansens Hus |
| 05.05.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Oslo (no) | Dansens Hus |
| 10.05.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Vilnius (lt) | New Baltic Dance |
| 11.05.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Vilnius (lt) | New Baltic Dance |
| 12.05.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Vilnius (lt) | New Baltic Dance |
| 16.05.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Braga (pt) | Theatro Circo |
| 21.05.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Dublin (ie) | Dublin Dance Festival |
| 22.05.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Dublin (ie) | Dublin Dance Festival |
| 25.05.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Charleroi (be) | Charleroi danse |
| 04.06.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Salzburg (at) | Sommerszene, SZENE Salzburg |
| 05.06.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Salzburg (at) | Sommerszene, SZENE Salzburg |
| 18.06.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Prague (cz) | Tanec Praha Festival /Archa Theater |
| 20.09.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Turin (it) | Torinodanza |
| 21.09.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Turin (it) | Torinodanza |
| 24.09.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Cergy-Pontoise/Val d'Oise (fr) | Points Communs |
| 25.09.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Cergy-Pontoise/Val d'Oise (fr) | Points Communs |
| 28.09.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Faro (pt) | Teatro das Figuras |
| 08.11.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Taipei (tw) | National Performing Arts Center/Artquake Festival |
| 09.11.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Taipei (tw) | National Performing Arts Center/Artquake Festival |
| 10.11.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Taipei (tw) | National Performing Arts Center/Artquake Festival |
| 15.11.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Kyoto (jp) | Rohm Theatre Kyoto |
| 16.11.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Kyoto (jp) | Rohm Theatre Kyoto |
| 20.11.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Kochi (jp) | The Museum of Art Kochi |
| 10.12.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Ludwigshafen (de) | Theater im Pfalzbau |
| 18.12.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Santa Cruz (es) | Auditorio de Tenerife |
| 19.12.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Santa Cruz (es) | Auditorio de Tenerife |
| 25.01.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Covilhã (pt) | Teatro Municipal da Covilhã |
| 19.02.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Villars-sur-Glâne (fr) | Equilibre-Nuithonie |
| 26.02.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Brest (fr) | Le Quartz |
| 27.02.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Brest (fr) | Le Quartz |
| 10.03.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Quimper (fr) | Théâtre de Cornouaille |
| 11.03.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Quimper (fr) | Théâtre de Cornouaille |
| 12.03.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Quimper (fr) | Théâtre de Cornouaille |
| 14.03.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Angers (fr) | Cndc Angers |
| 02.04.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Clermont-Ferrand (fr) | La Comédie de Clermont |
| 03.04.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Clermont-Ferrand (fr) | La Comédie de Clermont |
| 04.04.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Clermont-Ferrand (fr) | La Comédie de Clermont |
| 08.04.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Nîmes (fr) | Théâtre de Nîmes |
| 11.04.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Sète (fr) | Théâtre Molière |
| 15.04.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Pau (fr) | Espaces Pluriels |
| 24.04.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Toronto (ca) | Harbourfront |
| 25.04.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Toronto (ca) | Harbourfront |
| 26.04.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Toronto (ca) | Harbourfront |
| 30.04.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Montreal (ca) | Danse Danse |
| 01.05.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Montreal (ca) | Danse Danse |
| 02.05.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Montreal (ca) | Danse Danse |
| 03.05.2025 | C A R C A Ç A | Montreal (ca) | Danse Danse |
| 12.04.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Poitiers (fr) | Le TAP |
| 05.04.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Grenoble (fr) | MC2 |
| 04.04.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Grenoble (fr) | MC2 |
| 23.03.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Ljubljana (si) | Cankarjev Dom |
| 16.03.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Paris (fr) | CENTQUATRE |
| 15.03.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Paris (fr) | CENTQUATRE |
| 14.03.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Paris (fr) | CENTQUATRE |
| 24.02.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Sevilla (es) | Teatro Central |
| 23.02.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Sevilla (es) | Teatro Central |
| 14.02.2024 | C A R C A Ç A | Rotterdam (nl) | Theater Rotterdam |
| 25.11.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Havre (fr) | Le Phare, CCN du Havre Normandie/Le Volcan |
| 13.10.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Lyon (fr) | Maison de la Danse |
| 12.10.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Lyon (fr) | Maison de la Danse |
| 11.10.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Lyon (fr) | Maison de la Danse |
| 17.09.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Dresden (de) | Hellerau - Europäisches Zentrum der Künste Dresden |
| 16.09.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Dresden (de) | Hellerau - Europäisches Zentrum der Künste Dresden |
| 15.09.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Dresden (de) | Hellerau - Europäisches Zentrum der Künste Dresden |
| 02.09.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Dusseldorf (de) | Tanzhaus NRW |
| 01.09.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Dusseldorf (de) | Tanzhaus NRW |
| 11.08.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Berlin (de) | Tanz im August |
| 10.08.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Berlin (de) | Tanz im August |
| 09.08.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Berlin (de) | Tanz im August |
| 23.07.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Kalamata (gr) | Kalamata Dance Festival |
| 22.07.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Kalamata (gr) | Kalamata Dance Festival |
| 11.07.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Amsterdam (nl) | Julidans |
| 10.07.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Amsterdam (nl) | Julidans |
| 07.06.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Montemor-o-Novo (pt) | O Espaço do Tempo |
| 03.06.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Ílhavo (pt) | 23 Milhas/Casa da Cultura de Ílhavo |
| 26.05.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Plovdiv (bg) | One Dance Week |
| 21.04.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Valencia (es) | Dansa Valencia |
| 06.04.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Strasbourg (fr) | Le Maillon / POLE-SUD CDCN |
| 05.04.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Strasbourg (fr) | Le Maillon / POLE-SUD CDCN |
| 01.04.2023 | C A R C A Ç A (In the context of la Biennale de danse du Val-de-Marne) | Villejuif (fr) | Théâtre Romain Rolland |
| 29.03.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Brussels (be) | Festival LEGS - Charleroi danse/La Raffinerie |
| 28.03.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Brussels (be) | Festival LEGS - Charleroi danse/La Raffinerie |
| 25.03.2023 | C A R C A Ç A (In the context of la Biennale de danse du Val-de-Marne) | Tremblay-en-France (fr) | Théâtre Louis Aragon |
| 21.03.2023 | C A R C A Ç A (In the context of la Biennale de danse du Val-de-Marne) | Châtillon (fr) | Théâtre de Châtillon |
| 18.03.2023 | C A R C A Ç A (In the context of la Biennale de danse du Val-de-Marne) | Créteil (fr) | Maison des Arts Créteil |
| 17.03.2023 | C A R C A Ç A (In the context of la Biennale de danse du Val-de-Marne) | Créteil (fr) | Maison des Arts Créteil |
| 16.03.2023 | C A R C A Ç A (In the context of la Biennale de danse du Val-de-Marne) | Créteil (fr) | Maison des Arts Créteil |
| 10.03.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Barcelona (es) | Dansa Metropolitana/Mercat de les Flors |
| 09.03.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Barcelona (es) | Dansa Metropolitana/Mercat de les Flors |
| 08.02.2023 | C A R C A Ç A | Guimarães (pt) | Centro Cultural Vila Flor/ Guidance festival |
| 08.12.2022 | C A R C A Ç A | Bruges (be) | December Dance 2022 |
| 18.11.2022 | C A R C A Ç A | Chalon-sur-Saône (fr) | Espace des Arts |
| 15.11.2022 | C A R C A Ç A | Douai (fr) | TANDEM scène national Arras-Douai |
| 12.11.2022 | C A R C A Ç A | Lille (fr) | NEXT/Le Grand Sud |
| 11.11.2022 | C A R C A Ç A | Lille (fr) | NEXT/Le Grand Sud |
| 08.11.2022 | C A R C A Ç A (French Premiere) | Marseille (fr) | KLAP |
| 28.10.2022 | C A R C A Ç A | Lisbon (pt) | Centro Cultural De Belém |
| 27.10.2022 | C A R C A Ç A | Lisbon (pt) | Centro Cultural De Belém |
| 22.10.2022 | C A R C A Ç A (WORLD PREMIERE) | Porto (pt) | Teatro Municipal do Porto |
| 21.10.2022 | C A R C A Ç A (WORLD PREMIERE) | Porto (pt) | Teatro Municipal do Porto |