Marco Da Silva Ferreira (PT): Bisonte

Bisonte is a ring of hysteria and melancholy where life is a waltz and dance is there for the taking – and it takes everyone to tango. A persistent pulse sets the pace beneath the echoes of melodies from what is hidden within us. Gender is faded, making room for a gritty, vulnerable and beautiful existence.

In the performance he questions the inner and sensitive “me”. The dancers try to be part of a group, without losing their own identity and without being put in a defining box. Like the bison, they have a rough exterior to shield themselves from the outside world, but they are vulnerable on the inside. Bisonte is a personal attempt to come to one’s own vulnerable core. Da Silva Ferreira identifies a certain hyper-masculine attitude among young people in the big cities. At the same time, an important part of the current generation identifies itself as feminist and queer. What do we see today as masculine? What do we see as feminine? What does that say about the way we think about the body, gender and power?

Marco da Silva Ferreira (°1986, Santa Maria da Feira) is dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Pensamento Avulso. Marco ​​started his practice of the body through high performance swimming and by getting a degree in physiotherapy. Although he never used the degree in his professional life, it helped him to decide to focus on the body’s practice in the performing arts. His journey to becoming a professional choreographer was made in a self-taught way through dance styles with African-American influences that flowed in an urban context.