Inspired by different urban dances, the Portuguese choreographer Marco da Silva Ferreira embarks on a metamorphosis of bodies, releasing a cultural and political memory made up of rebellion and fury to live. An unprecedented encounter full of energy and emotions! 

Source: Maison de la Danse de Lyon

Born in Santa Maria da Feira, Marco began his dance career in 2004. Since then he has worked with: Companhia de Dança do Norte;  Companhia Tok'art in “Made in time” (Jan’2011) and “You never know how things are going to come together” (Feb,2012) choreographed by André Mesquita; In 2012 Marco performed Elisabeth Lambeck solo “EXIT 211-A,  Sylvia Rijmer solo “Anatomization” and Hofesh Shechter piece “Shelters” to Companhia Instável. Marco has been dancing in Victor Hugo Pontes projects “ Fuga sem fim” to Companhia Instável, “Rendez- vous”(2011) , “A strange land”(2012), “Zoo” (2013), “Fall” (2014) and "Se Alguma Vez precisares da minha vida, vem e toma-o" (2016). In 2014 Tiago Guedes performed “Hoje” and in 2015 danced Paulo Ribeiro solo “Modo de utilização”. As a choreographer, Marco premiered his first solo “Nevoeiro 21” in Palcos Instáveis at Campo Alegre Theatre (2012). In May 2013 Marco premiered the award piece of maisImaginarius “Réplica...éplica...éplica”, a site-specific solo dance. In June, Marco created “A ilha” with Victor Hugo Pontes provided by 37.25-Núcleo de artes performativas and Walk&talk Azores festival. “Por minha culpa, minha tão grande culpa” (2013), a co-creation with Mara Andrade, premiered in Palcos Instáveis and in 2014 created “Land(e)scape”, a multi-disciplinary collaboration with a visual artist and sound installation to Imaginarius festival. “HU(R)MANO” premiered in 2014 and still touring.  In 2015 invited by ESTUFA created “b r u t o” a dance piece for non-professional dancers which is been reperformed to another groups in workshop context. “brother” is Marco’s last creation and will premiere in March 2017 in Teatro São Luiz, Lisbon.

Source: The association Pensamento Avulso 's website

More information: pensamento-avulso.jimdo.com

Born in 1977, Fabien Plasson is a video director specialized in the field of performing arts (dance , music, etc).

During his studies at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (joined in 1995) Fabien discovered video art. He was trained by various video artists (Joel Bartoloméo Pascal Nottoli , Eric Duyckaerts , etc).
He first experimented with the creation of installations and cinematic objects.

From 2001 to 2011, he was in charge of Ginger & Fred video Bar’s programming at La Maison de la Danse in Lyon. He discovered the choreographic field and the importance of this medium in the dissemination, mediation and pedagogical approach to dance alongside Charles Picq, who was a brilliant video director and the director of the video department at that time.

Today, Fabien Plasson is the video director at La Maison de la Danse and in charge of the video section of Numeridanse.tv, an online international  video library, and continues his creative activities, making videos of concerts, performances and also creating video sets for live performances.

Sources: Maison de la Danse ; Fabien Plasson website

More information: fabione.fr

Created in 1992, the Via Katlehong Dance company, led by Vusi Mdoyi, Steven Faleni and Buru Mohlabane, borrows its name of the township of Katlehong in East Rand, a deprived district which produced the pantsula counter-culture, born in the townships in the 1960s and 1970s, under the apartheid regime in South Africa. 

Like hip hop in the United States and Europe, pantsula culture is an entire lifestyle, covering fashion, music, dance, gestural and spoken codes. And like hip hop, this culture finds its place of expression in the street. 

In the 1990s, as a multiracial South Africa slowly emerged, the company continued to fight for the young people of the poor districts. The company's shows and performances mix several dances: pantsula (non-acrobatic but virtuosic kind of hip hop), tap dance (percussive taps with metal-tipped shoes), stepping (similar to the American time step) and the gumboot dance (miners' dance, done in Wellingtons, or gumboots). 

In combining these traditions, the South African company produces an energetic, festive and cheeky dance.

Sustained by a strong communal identity, Via Katlehong Dance pursues its educational, cultural and social mission to help the young people of South Africa. The company has won several international prizes (FNB Vita Dance Umbrella, Gauteng Dance Showcase, KTV Most Brilliant Achievement, Gauteng MEC Development Award, etc.) for its creations, with its new mix of pantsula and other community dances of South Africa, like the gumboot dance and stepping. 

More information

https://www.charleroi-danse.be/profile/via-katlehong/

Bibliography 

Vernay, Marie-Christine. “Danser contre la violence, les malfaiteurs et la drogue”, Libération, 21 March 2011

Vernay, Marie-Christine. “Via Katlehong fait son tapage à Paris”, Libération, 21 March, 2011 

Last updated: December 2013