Marco da Silva Ferreia started out as a swimmer, became a self-taught dancer, and is now a choreographer. The Portuguese artist embraces this creative friction and the political potential of conflict. Stoking fear of the in-between and the unknown has become a defining characteristic of contemporary border politics. But Portuguese choreographer Marco da Silva Ferreira knows that liminal spaces can also be rich terrain for invention and metamorphosis. In his work Bisonte , six gender-diverse performers defy both the virile codes of traditional hip-hop and the affected femininity seen in certain queer communities.
And his Fantasie minor , a piece for non-traditional venues, remixes a classical Schubert score with house, electro, and dance-hall influences. His fast rise is even more unusual considering that, until the age of sixteen, he had never set foot in a dance studio. Da Silva Ferreira started gravitating towards contemporary dance due to his aversion to award podiums.
During this time, he also began dancing professionally for internationally-renowned choreographers Tiago Guedes and Hofesh Shechter.
Da Silva Ferreira openly admits to being influenced by both of their approaches to virtuosity, technique, and intense physicality rather than perfectly composed choreographic phrases. And while the dynamics of an ensemble can bring intensity to an incandescent level, he never allows them to cancel out the singularity of each dancer.
This line of questioning continues in his latest piece, a Folia , choreographed for Ballet de Lorraine earlier this year. Created for an ensemble of twenty-two dancers, it seems to ask whether the center or the periphery is the source of social movement and change.
