Vera Mantero

The title is taken from Herberto Helder’s poem “Lugar II” (Place II), and this is a show that confronts us with a situation where deconstructions and humour, ease and evidence, new formulations and narrow classifications are the key words in dance. The stage is “a space capsule” where “some things belong [...] and others don’t.” Bodies made out of words transform themselves into sounds that, in turn, remind us of images.

The show opens a complex discourse about the presence of the dancer on stage (the effect of creative processes on the piece, the expectations of those who create dance and especially of those who witness it) and about the inscription of movement in an over-saturated society where consumerism rules. This unique piece by Portuguese choreographer Vera Mantero is one of the highest points in a career that has consistently rethought, instead of denying, definitions. The apparent immobility of the bodies leads to a polemic reflection on dance that leaves us frustrated by the coherence of the dance that is presented.
We’re dealing with scenic illusion here. The apparently unmoving bodies are, in fact, in permanent activity. Seated in chairs, lined up along the front of the ...