The choreographer Mariana Tengner Barros visited S. Sebastião Secondary School to present her work in a session of Escola Futurama’s What is that of the contemporary?
Biography
MARIANA TENGNER BARROS – choreographer, dancer, performer, and artistic director of A Bela Associação. She has choreographed and performed numerous solo and group pieces, highlighting The Trap (winner of the Audience Award Jardin D'Europe – Austria in 2011), EXI(s)T(s) (2018), Instructions for the Gods (2017), A Power Ballad (2013), and Resurrection (2017), both co-creations with Mark Tompkins.
Her work is fueled by her fascination with the “performance” of life, the way people represent and present themselves in the social planes of existence, and the tensions between worlds. Over the last decade, she has been researching the figure of the witch, its connection to the sacred feminine, and its symbolism as a form of rebellion against oppression.
Dance forms the foundation of her highly multidisciplinary work, with a strong musical contribution from her collaborators Jonny Kadaver and Mee_K. She combines her work as a creator and performer with teaching in various contexts, as well as with social action projects, notably the ongoing Floresta Invisível project, which focuses on the protection of centenary trees and the promotion of environmental awareness. Improvisation is a constant tool in her practice and work, both in research and creation.
As a performer, she has collaborated with Meg Stuart, Francisco Camacho, and John Romão. She is also the singer and keyboardist of the band KUNDALINI XS. In 2016, she received the Municipal Cultural Merit Award from Vila Nova de Famalicão City Council in recognition of her professional career.
