Beatriz Valentim was born in 1995 in Póvoa de Varzim, now based in Porto, and grew up as the oldest of seven girl cousins. After beginning ballet at a local academy, Beatriz decided to move to Lisbon at fourteen to pursue dance.
She trained at the National Conservatory School of Dance, Budapest Dance Theatre, the FOR Dance Theatre of Companhia Olga Roriz, ESMAE and ISCTE-IUL, this last one where she completed a degree in Sociology. As a dancer, she grew alongside artists such as Olga Roriz, Jérôme Bel, Raimund Hoghe, Né Barros, Francisco Camacho, Mafalda Deville, Clara Andermatt, Joana Magalhães, Catarina Miranda and others. As a choreographer, she began developing her own creative universe with VADO: solo about empty things (2018), followed by NINA (2019), Self (2021), What Is a Problem? (2023) and Vanishing (2024), the latter created in collaboration with Bruno Senune. Each of these works intertwines body, memory, community and ephemerality, always leaving questions for the audience, because her aim is to invite inquiry, not deliver closed answers.
Her degree in Sociology opened space for her to view dance as a social tool and not merely an artistic practice, and it is from this awareness that she develops extensive work with children and young people, leading workshops, school projects and community initiatives including GruA – Grupo de Autonomia at ASAS in Santo Tirso and, more recently, as an Artist in Residence for the National Arts Plan.
Currently, she is the choreographic director of the performance ECO.TEX – 2nd Anniversary of ECO Porto, a celebration by Porto Ambiente in partnership with Associação Bombarda – Quarteirão Criativo, and is developing her upcoming creation, “Assimétrico”, produced by EIRA, with co-production by Theatro Circo / braga25, Teatro Aveirense and Teatro Nacional de São João.
Photography: © Lais Pereira / Theatro Circo
