After a year during which we proposed to think under the motto “_The world is the home of the body_”, taking up ideas from the context of immigrant communities in Portugal, along with other interculturalities running through the whole season, it was now urgent to think where we should direct the various paths we had opened up and, with them, to reflect on the essence of what is passed on, that unique gesture between the one who hands on and the one who receives. 

While it is true that every path brings us closer to the place we’re heading to, it is no less true that, as we move on, we stray further from our starting place. On the other hand, since those who leave aren’t always the same who arrive, the path presupposes a transmission process. Perhaps reflecting a time when we are celebrating 50 years of freedom against a growing tendency towards collective amnesia, which tendency reduces more and more the momentum of that first step, we ended 2024 with a renewed awareness of the necessity of making the past known, revisiting it and reading it anew. In this exercise of knowing and recognizing through the action of those who came before us lies a powerful driving force, capable of defending and furthering the civilizational conquests made throughout the ages.

In 1884, the ground we now stand on was home to Real Ginásio Clube Português, which remained here for about a century, before the arrival of Companhia Nacional de Bailado (the National Ballet of Portugal), which grew and established itself over three decades. In this space, a space for the practice of the body, we want to acknowledge the founding movement that preceded us in partnership with the current **Ginásio Clube Português** (Portuguese Gym Club) by bringing to light archive pictures of those pioneering athletes who sought physical excellence in this very place and, without realizing it, paved the way for a democratic and free access to these institutions. With that in mind, we will present each activity and idea included in our 2025 season through the distant, moving bodies of those pioneers, confirming that the determination to exceed oneself is timeless and inherent to the human condition.

The present is not an objective matter, and even less so is the past, which we perceive through written and oral transmissions. It is from this perception that we create the various narratives which shape what we think individually and collectively. And from this very subjectivity arises a need for revisiting places, events and characters that make up our historical narratives, as we see them in the light of the present.

Aiming to strengthen the collaborative spirit in creative processes, we highlight the program **Young Composers** in this 2025 SEASON, once again coordinated by composer Luís Tinoco, now a Pessoa Prize winner, and co-coordinated by librettist and mezzo-soprano Marcia Belamy, dramaturg Stephan Plaice, and choreographer Victor Hugo Pontes. The program will open up new possibilities for participating creators and performers, crossing over to the artistic areas of composition, writing and choreography. 

Also in January, the piece _Sensorianas_, created by Clara Andermatt and exploring Persian culture, had its premiere as part of this year’s **Other Worlds** program, focused on Iran in its first edition. After it premiered at Teatro Camões in Lisbon, the piece went on to be performed in Guimarães (as part of the GUIdance – International Contemporary Dance Festival), and it has scheduled performances in Aveiro (Teatro Aveirense), Viseu (Teatro Viriato), and Loulé (Cineteatro Louletano), as part of a series of activities in schools promoted in partnership with the National Arts Plan (PNA). At the same time, Sofia Dias & Vítor Roriz, our guest artists for the **At Home** program, will be celebrating 20 years in activity with a program that gives prominence to the proposed theme, occupying the EVC’s studios, corridors, foyer, rooms, floors, and corners throughout the whole year.

Carlota Lagido will be back in February, with a new curatorial proposal for the **Cycle of Exhibitions** _Cérebro, olhos, mãos e papel_, taking place during the year at the EVC’s foyer. In this context, we will welcome projects by dance artists with a connection to the visual arts, such as Flávio Rodrigues, Miguel Bonneville, and Ana Caetano.

Throughout the year, we will once again host dance artists as part of our **Artist Residencies** program, as well as artists or artist collectives participating in dance festivals as part of our **In Transit** program. Daily and complementary practices for dance professionals will also take place over the course of the year, under Tiago Martins, in April, as part of the **EVC Training** program, and under Pedro Ramos and João Cardoso, in September, after the summer period, as part of the **Kick-Off ’25** program.

With International Dance Day comes the **Dancing the World** program in partnership with Observatório do Mundo Islâmico (Islamic World Observatory), which brings us different dances practiced in social meetings. It is a space to learn about — and dance to the rhythm of — other cultures with which we have always interacted. 

Now in its eighth edition, we return to the **Territory** program, a career launch program for young dancers from dance schools across the country. This year, we are presented with a new creation by choreographer Nadav Zelner and a new piece by choreographer Marco Goecke. As a result of the partnership between the EVC and the Nederlands Dans Theater, Territory will be entering a new cycle, featuring artistic development programs and providing young dancers with a multidisciplinary experience. In 2025, we are also launching similar programs in partnership with Companhia Nacional de Bailado, thus establishing a networking platform between renowned institutions and aspiring young artists.

On this journey of revisiting the past and seeing it through a different worldview, we host the seventh edition of **Meetings for the Future** in October, featuring a performative conference by Joana Craveiro, _Que bem posso escusar trazer escrito em papel o que na alma andar devia_, about that argonaut called Luís de Camões. This edition will be part of a cycle of activities in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Camões’ birth.

During the last trimester of 2025, we will host **Words and Practices**, a program about action in an artist’s gesture of passing on and reflecting. In this first edition, we welcome choreographer and dancer Marco da Silva Ferreira. Over the course of one day structured with both a practical and a theoretical component, participants will have the opportunity to experience creative processes, bringing the artistic community and the general public closer together. In partnership with the National Arts Plan (PNA), we are also launching the initiative **Artist-in-Residence**, bringing to public schools two choreographers who participated in the Young Composers program in 2024: Beatriz Valentim and Joana Franco. 

Finally, the **PALOP 25** program is organized around two main axes. The first one comprises artist residencies, training, and project development in a new collaboration with Ordem do Ó, and is aimed at dance artists from Guinea-Bissau. The second comprises meetings and project development in collaboration with artist David Marques, and is aimed at choreographers from Mozambique. With this program, we extend the series of collaborations we have had since 2020 with Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa.

Grateful to all our partners and to everyone who will join us here at the EVC throughout the year, I conclude with the same words from 2024:

_We launch this season knowing that the path can shape our intentions, making it more suited to the needs of those who can benefit from it. And while it is true that not all projects will reach the point where we initially imagined them, when driven by a creative and conciliatory spirit they will certainly bring about change._

This is where we propose to meet: on the ground we walk on.

Rui Lopes Graça,

February 2025

2025 SEASON ⏤ On the ground we walk on

Proposed by the National Arts Plan (PNA), this year’s program has the partnership of the EVC. Together, they will bring to two public schools in Lisbon and in Porto two choreographers who participated in the Young Composers program in 2024: Beatriz Valentim and Joana Franco. Over the course of three months, both choreographers will develop projects within the school community, giving students the possibility to experience the creative look from the world of dance. The initiative will be accompanied by filmmaker João Sanchez, who will create a film based on the program’s activities.

Artist-in-Residence ⏤ PNA

###### <u>Daily practice for professionals</u>

Daily classical and contemporary dance practice designed for professional dancers or those in the process of becoming professional dancers. The diversity of the invited teachers’ proposals aims to mirror our approach to what can constitute a dance practice today. 

###### Classical dance
Mon / Wed / Fri: 10:00 to 11:15 a.m.

###### Contemporary dance
Tue / Thu: 10:00 to 11:15 a.m.

###### Price
3€/class (insurance required)

###### <u>Classical dance classes for adults</u>

Classical dance classes for adults are designed for beginners or for those who have been connected to classical dance and want to continue this practice as a means to their well-being.

###### Classical dance
Mon / Wed: 6:30 to 20:00 p.m.

###### Price
10€/class (insurance required)

Dance Classes in Studio 1

With the aim of bringing the migrant communities residing in Portugal into institutional spaces, we launch the first edition of the **Dancing the World** program, which brings to the EVC dances shared in social meetings, from different cultures and traditions. Open to everyone, the initiative meets one of this season’s main objectives, namely, that of integrating communities in moments of sharing and interaction.

The first action will take place on International Dance Day, April 29th, and it is organized in partnership with Observatório do Mundo Islâmico (Islamic World Observatory), among other institutions. 

Dancing the World

_Other Worlds_ is a program dedicated to the representation of migrant communities residing in Portugal in new dance creations. Despite the geographical proximity, immigrant communities often remain on the margin of the local community, which, due to this isolation, makes them potential focal points of exclusion and targets of social prejudice. By making present in institutional spaces the diverse cultures that weave our identity as a society, we can actively contribute to the deconstruction of narratives that dehumanize the other, often making them the target of our shortcomings as a collective.

Throughout its duration, the program, which will cyclically select a target country, aims to draw attention to this country's culture through the perspective of an artist in the field of dance. In this first edition, the focus is on Iran and Iranian culture, under the direction of choreographer Clara Andermatt. The piece was created throughout 2024, and its premiere was on January 31 and February 1, 2025, at Teatro Camões, to be followed by other public performances.

Included in the program is the IR ÀS ESCOLAS ["Visiting Schools"] initiative, which aims to make the culture and realities experienced by Iranian people known to young school communities in Portugal through talks and short performances.

Sensorianas will premiere **on January 31, at 8pm, and on February 1, 6:30pm, at Teatro Camões**, in Lisbon.

###### Tickets on sale at [bol.pt](https://www.bol.pt/Comprar/Bilhetes/150094-sensorianas_de_clara_andermatt_accca-t_camoes_e_victor_cordon/)

###### SYNOPSIS

_"I was invited by Estúdios Victor Córdon to explore Iran and its culture through the creation of a piece to be presented within the framework of the OUTROS MUNDOS program. I approached the invitation as a challenge to connect with Persian culture, allowing me to explore and celebrate its richness._

_I want the piece to combine charm and contemplation based on an artistic experience anchored in the contributions of the Iranian diaspora rooted in our country. I aim to pave the thematic path of the piece by compiling individual visions carrying references, suggestions, and avenues for study._
_
I intend to explore different styles of traditional Iranian dance, reinterpreted by myself and the collaborators of this creation in light of contemporary dance. The focus is on the female universe, with Iranian poetry and music, among other elements, serving as integrative and inspiring components._

_I do not seek to encompass the vastness of Persian culture, nor do I have any pretension to represent it—an impossible and undesirable task for someone approaching a vast and complex reality for the first time. I propose a subjective, animated vision fuelled by the desire to promote encounters and build cultural bridges. A curious and interested gaze toward a reality very different from our own. A space for dialogue and reflection on aspects of everyday life, freedom, and the cultural diversity that we must defend and celebrate in the current global context."_

— Clara Andermatt

###### CREDITS
- Artistic Direction | CLARA ANDERMATT
- Performance and Creative Collaboration | BEATRIZ VALENTIM, HELIA BANDEH, LEONOR ALECRIM, MARIA FONSECA, RITA CARPINTEIRO
- Art Consultant | HELIA BANDEH
- Musical Direction | JOÃO LUCAS E CLARA ANDERMATT
- Artistic Assistance and Research | MARGARIDA BAK GORDON
- Creation Support | AMÉLIA BENTES, FÉLIX LOZANO
- Support for Dramaturgy | JOÃO LUCAS
- Lighting Design and Operation | WILMA MOUTINHO
- Set Design | ERIC DA COSTA
- Costume Design | JOSÉ ANTÓNIO TENENTE
- Helia Bandeh's Selection of Costumes created by | HELIA DANCEWEAR
- Costume Design Assistant | RITA MONIZ PEREIRA
- Mirrors | GOLSHAN CHAHIAN
- Sound Design and Operation | RICARDO FIGUEIREDO
- Scenic Space Construction | JOSÉ PEDRO SOUSA
- Executive Production | ACCCA — MIGUEL PEREIRA, RUANA CAROLINA
- Communication Partnership | ANTENA 2, COFFEEPASTE

###### OUTROS MUNDOS, a ESTÚDIOS VICTOR CÓRDON program
- Co-production | OPART / ESTÚDIOS VICTOR CÓRDON, A OFICINA / CCVF
- Residency support | OPART / ESTÚDIOS VICTOR CÓRDON
- Support | REPÚBLICA PORTUGUESA — CULTURA / DIREÇÃO-GERAL DAS ARTES, CÂMARA MUNICIPAL DE LISBOA, INTERPRESS HUB CRIATIVO DO BAIRRO ALTO
- Partnership | PLANO NACIONAL DAS ARTES - INICIATIVA IR À ESCOLA

- Special Thanks | JOÃO BICHÃO,  JOÃO HENRIQUES (Observatório do Mundo Islâmico),  MARTINHO VILLANI, RITA FONTES, SEPIDEH RADFAR, TEATRO DO BAIRRO

- A special thank you to all the Iranian people or people of Iranian origin who told us about themselves, their culture and their country | AIDA SIGHARIAN, GOLSHAN CHAHIAN, HODA MADAD, ISMAIL BOALI, MARYAM SHAMS, MEHRNOOSH AFSHARI, NAHID SANGANIAN, NIKDEL FARHAD, OMID BAHRAMI, RAHMAN HAGHIGHI, REBECCA MORADALIZADEH, ROHAM TORABI, ROUZBEH AKHBARI, SEPIDEH RADFAR, SINA SHIRAZI, SOMAYEH GHOLAMI, VAHID RASOULI

Programs