Dias da Dança Festival promotes in April the “in search of well-being” edition

For 13 days, 28 shows will be presented, mostly national premieres, on 14 stages in Porto, Matosinhos and Gaia. 65 established and emerging artists and companies from nine nationalities participate, with emphasis on the national premiere of Lia Rodrigues' new show and the new piece by choreographer Tânia Carvalho.

In this 7th edition, the festival changes its paradigm and the public is invited to live it in a different way. At Teatro Rivoli, which remains the centre of this festival, everyone will be invited to enjoy an individual experience together, as if they were in a real “spa in search of well-being”.

In this edition, they will be able to find (self) care and a sense of community, encounter and celebration. We firmly believe that the contemporary artistic vision can be of great contribution to today's society”, defended Cristina Planas Leitão, co-director of the Department of Performing Arts of Ágora and, consequently, of DDD – Festival Dias da Dança.

In a press conference held on Tuesday, the artistic director anticipated two intense weeks with “shows and activities, in which dance questions itself and opens itself to a notion of expanded choreography, of a transcendent place where movement happens, inside and outside bodies, being able to reimagine futures”.

Over 13 days, 28 shows will be presented, totalling 46 recitals, with established and emerging artists from nine countries: Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Albania, Turkey, Cape Verde, Brazil and the United States of America.

As in previous years, the festival is spread over 14 stages of Porto (Rivoli, Campo Alegre, Paulo Cunha e Silva CAMPUS, Serralves – Museum of Contemporary Art, Coliseu Porto Ageas, Palácio do Bolhão, São Bento Metro Station, Avenida dos Aliados, Alameda das Fontainhas, Parque da Cidade), Matosinhos (TTeatro Municipal de Matosinhos Constantino Nery and Casa da Arquitectura) and Gaia (Auditório Municipal and Afurada).

World and national premieres

The opening of this year's edition takes place on the 18th, at 9:30 pm, at the Grande Auditório - Rivoli, with the national premiere of “Encantado”, by Lia Rodrigues.

In Afro-Brazilian culture, the “encantados” are animated entities that navigate between heaven and earth, dunes and rocks, transforming them into sacred places. It is these mysterious forces, closely linked to nature, that are at the basis of this show.

At TMM Constantino Nery will be presented “Neighbours” by Brigel Gjoka, Rauf “RubberLegz” Yasit & Ruşan Filiztek, which results from the collaboration between two artists with different artistic paths and cultural heritages – the abstract pioneer b-boy Rauf “Rubberlegz” Yasit and the renowned contemporary dance dancer Brigel Gjoka – and music by composer Ruşan Filiztek.

This edition of DDD also has a national premiere of “Thank You For Coming: Space”, by Faye Driscoll, and “ARA! ARA!”, by Ginevra Panzetti & Enrico Ticconi.

Tânia Carvalho will be present in a double dose with “versa-vice” and “Madmud”, where the choreographer and performer distils a captivating fluidity, where waves of melancholy and tenebrous riots hover, through her voice and piano;

Note also for the presentation of works by Vania Vaneau, Iara Izidoro, Daniela, Emmanuel Eggermont / L'Anthracite, Monica Calle / Casa Conveniente. Dori Nigro, Djam Neguin, Catherine Gaudet and Guilherme de Sousa & Pedro Azevedo.

The program also includes Gaya de Medeiros, Sofia Dias & Vítor Roriz / Filiz Sizanli and Mustafa Kaplan, Flora Détraz / Compagnie Pli, Ana Isabel Castro, Vânia Doutel Vaz and the partnership between Teatro Praga and Dois Pianos and Percussões da Metropolitana.

After the success of the first edition, at Rivoli, ballroom culture is also returning to DDD, this time at Coliseu Porto Ageas.

The "Art Liberates Ball", organized by Mother Nala Revlon & Piny 007's Vogue PT Chapter, takes place on April 29, and features several judges, DJs and MCs.

A party that promotes the ballroom in Portugal and aims to create ground for the community to develop with political and social awareness, consistently and safely.

Partnership and Training

Continuing the partnership with Balleteatro, DDD Corpo + Cidade will present shows in the public space of the three cities, with proposals from Max Oliveira, Bouziane Bouteldja, Flávio Rodrigues, Isabel Barros & Carlos Guedes, Mauritius | Neves and Jorge Gonçalves.

Alongside the shows, artists are invited to share experiences at the Paulo Cunha e Silva CAMPUS.

The DDD CAMPUS program will feature workshops by Brigel Gjoka, Dages Juvelier Keates, Gaya de Medeiros, Tânia Carvalho, Rui Silveira, Diana Niepce, Vânia Doutel Vaz, Vania Vaneau, Faye Driscoll, Caroline Gravel, Marijke Vandersmissen, Luísa Saraiva and Joana Castro.

There is still time for the “traditional” parties in the festival line-up. On April 22, TMP Café hosts the party organized by multidisciplinary artist Odete, with the participation of Keyla Brasil, Odete, Meldaspêras, som flores + girlflux and Soundpreta.

And on April 29, after the “Art Liberates Ball”, there is an after-party at TMP Café with DJ Leo Soulflow.

Presenting DDD 2023, Cristina Planas Leitão and Drew Klein, co-directors of DAP, conclude: “Every day, during the festival, we will experience vibrant matter and embody what dance is and means today. Every day we will say softly that we persist and persevere, with the bold force of unison”.

Tickets for the DDD shows can be purchased at the DDD's central ticket office, at the Teatro Rivoli, at the ticket offices of the respective presentation spaces, and online, on the BOL platform (ddd.bol.pt).

The entire program is now available at www.festivalddd.com.