Cultural evenings ...

I have been wanting to write about "Uma coisa em forma de assim" (roughly be translated by something in the shape of such a manner), which I was fortunate enough to see danced by the National Dancing Company at Teatro Camões on the eve of the International Dance Day (28th of May).

This performance was conceived by some of the most outstanding Portuguese dance coreographers Madalena Victorino, Vasco Wellenkamp, Paulo Ribeiro, Rui Lopes Graça, Francisco Camacho, Rui Horta, Benvindo Fonseca, Olga Roriz and Clara Andermatt), whose variegated experiences allied to the widely different technical skills of the dancers added to this magnificient "creation", which not only had the audience mesmerized from beginning to end but also bewitched by the piano performance of Bernardo Sassetti playing live to it.

According to Paulo Ribeiro the whole performance is "a solo duet-like, four solos, two duets or simply a quartet in the form of  a pas-de-quatre, romantic and in a like-minded type of approach".

Dancers

Peggy Konik; Miguel Ramalho; Africa Sobrino; Andreia Pinho; Solange Melo, Tom Collin;Yurina Miura, Carlos Pinillos, Ricardo Limão; Samuel Retortillo, Marta Sobreira, Vera Alves, Tomislav Petranovic, Ana Lacerda, Irina de Oliveira, Shang-Jen Yuan.

Based on the book of "Disquietude", this theatrical play which has been on stage since 2001 is worth seeing not only because of the outstanding and moving interpretation of the solo actor on stage - Carlos Paulo, whose performance is second to none, but also  because of the  scenic adaptation of the words which is sublime, making Pessoa the poet of our disquietude still today.

According to many Theatre critics "Do Desassossego" is "a master-piece type of criation", which I entirely agree with, as audience partaker.


Author: Bernardo Soares/Fernando Pessoa
Adaptation: Carlos Paulo
Scenic version and stage adaptation: João Mota
Actor: Carlos Paulo
Stage performing: Hugo Franco


We do sometimes have the tendency to consider that the performing arts in Portugal  cannot (do not) compare to those abroad and the unveiling truth is ... these are two of the many examples which bluntly contradict it.

May we continue to produce "Art", irrespective of the form it takes ...