Marco Martins’ documentary is a proposed history of the body based on the history of one of the greatest Portuguese dance companies of the 20th century, as it examines how dance developed in Portugal hand in hand with the country’s political, economic and sociocultural history.  

Um Corpo que Dança [A Body that Dances], Ballet Gulbenkian 1965-2005 is the story of the experience of a new body in transformation, freeing itself from fascism, and of a changing society opening up to the outside world. Via unseen archival images and interviews with various creators and dancers, we accompany the history of Ballet Gulbenkian, through the movements and words of its protagonists, from its creation in the early 1960s to its extinction in 2005.

Included in the dance not dance programme, this screening takes place on the same day as the presentation of Ritmo/Violento [Rhythm/Violent], a performance by André Cabral with the Portuguese Higher School of Dance (ESD), based on Ritmo Violento, created by Norman Dixon and performed by the Experimental Ballet Group in 1961.

dance not dance

This event is included in the (re)performances, films and talks series which constitutes the first part of dance not dance – archaeologies of the new dance in Portugal. More info.