Davi Pontes & Wallace Ferreira

How can a self-defence dance be shaped? Forgoing the use of sound, the audience will be placed in a circle around Brazilian artists Davi Pontes & Wallace Ferreira. Following the realisation that both state and institutions secure order through force, Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira present a precise and virtuosic choreography, employing martial arts and capoeira. They perform a critical reconsideration of dance history: With the Repertório Trilogy, they explore movement in the field of Black Aesthetics. Black Aesthetics describe an artistic and cultural mode of expression that concentrates on the experiences, perspectives, and identities of Black People, celebrating them. Black Aesthetics are closely bound to the history, the social struggles and the cultural accomplishments of the African diaspora. This is about questioning stereotypical depictions and offering an alternative, self-determined perspective. Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira use imitation and rhythmical patterns to widen the perception of time and space.

Repertório N.2 is the second piece in Davi Pontes’ und Wallace Ferreira’s choreographic trilogy. With unconventional techniques, they draw on alternative, underground self-defence practice. Through their choreographies, they undertake a critical reflection of the world in which they live, entering a choreographic process that criss-crosses through imagination and intuition. They aim to become freed of any constraints and to confront the colonial, racist, and patriarchal frame of Western thought. For an in-depth insight into Davi Pontes’ und Wallace Ferreira’s work, we additionally recommend a visit to Repertório N.3.

Davi Pontes is an artist, choreographer, and researcher working at the intersection of visual arts and choreography. He studied art at Universidade Federal Fluminense in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as at Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectáculo in Porto, Portugal. He has been presenting his works internationally in art galleries and at festivals for performing arts since 2016. In 2022, he and Wallace Ferreira won the Young Choreographers’ Award [8:tension] at the Viennese ImPulsTanz Festival. His work explores the connections between choreography, racism, and self-defence, and he wants to inspire the audience to enter into a critical rethinking and reflection on the production of history.

Wallace Ferreira is an artist with a background in dance and visual arts. Ferreira studied at the Escola Livre de Artes da Maré (ELÃ) as well as at the Artes Visuais do Parque Lage in Brazil. In 2022, Ferreira and Davi Pontes won the Young Choreographers’ Award [8:tension] at the Viennese ImPulsTanz Festival. Wallace Ferreira’s works have been shown internationally both at art galleries as well as at festivals for performing arts. Wallace Ferreira’s creations scrutinise convention and explore the intersections of movement, performance, voguing, and visual representation.

Duration: 30 minutes

Accompanying programme