GIFTED

Preview

2022   4:30

Producer: Mark Freeman in association with Companhia de Dança de Almada
Director/Editor: Mark Freeman
Dancers: Raquel Tavares and Mariana Romão
Cinematographer: Danilo Miranda Cares
Post Production Wizard:  Greg Penetrante
Music: Lloyd Rodgers

GIFTED

The city across the river is lost in mist.  The GIFTED  dancers inscribe the landscape.  Their gift transforming geometry and perspective, re-structuring space. Filmed on location Almada, Portugal.

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Raquel Tavares, born in Lisbon, began her career in classical dance when she was 7 years old, performing at the Royal Academy of Dance. She studied contemporary dance at the Escola Superior de Dança.  She has performed in work choreographed by Daniel Cardoso, São Castro, Inês Godinho, Jácome Filipe, and  Benvindo Fonseca and Gonçalo Lobato. She joined the Companhia de Dança de Almada in 2017 touring in Portugal and internationally. She has worked with several choreographers including Bruno Duarte, Inês Pedruco, Luís Marrafa, Luís Malaquias, Margarida Belo Costa, Julia Ehrstrand, Martxel Rodriguez and Jon López. She has created and performed her own work: “Campo Estreito,” ‘Minado de Sombras” and “Corpo Sem Órgãos,” participating in the International Platform for Choreographers in the 24th and 25th editions of the Quinzena de Dança de Almada. She created “Gifted” for the Companhia de Dança de Almada in 2021.

Mariana Mendonça Vasconcelos Romão, graduated from the Escola Superior de Dança de Lisboa. She studied at the Dance School of the National Conservatory, where she completed the Dancer Training Course. Her background includes Classical, Modern, Contemporary Dance, Hip Hop, Street Dance, Jazz and Tap. She interned at Companhia de Dança do Norte and has been a dancer at Companhia de Dança de Almada since 2012.  She has worked with Benvindo Fonseca, São Castro, Bárbara Griggi, Sylvia Rijmer, André Mesquita, Damien Jalet, Joe Alegado, Laura Arís Alvarez, Teresa Simas, Sandra Rosado, Luis Marrafa, Ricardo Ambrósio, Hugo Vieira, among others.

 

Companhia de Dança de Almada – Ca.DA (Almada Dance Company) is a non-profit  organization, which produces contemporary dance, and offers Integrated Dance Courses accredited by the Portuguese Ministry of Education. Since 1992 Companhia de Dança de Almada has produced the Quinzena de Dança de Almada (International Dance Festival), promoting exchanges between Portuguese creators and dancers and the international community. Founded by Maria Franco the Companhia de Dança de Almada has produced more than a hundred pieces by national and international choreographers, including Ana Macara, Clara Andermatt, Amélia Bentes, Peter Michael Dietz, Jean Paul Bucchieri, Filipa Francisco, Margarida Bettencourt, Francisco Pedro, Cláudia Dias, Gagik Ismailian, Benvindo Fonseca, São Castro, Luís Marrafa, Bruno Duarte, Jon López, Martxel Rodriguez, and performed more than a thousand shows in Portugal and abroad.

In Portugal, the company participated in festivals and dance meetings including the Plataforma Coreográfica Portuguesa de Bagnolet – ACARTE (Lisbon); Ciclo de Dança do Teatro Académico Gil Vicente (Coimbra); Serões Culturais de Faro; V Semana da Dança (Guimarães); Expo/98 – Festival Internacional de Dança em Paisagens Urbanas (Lisbon, 1998/99); Algures a Nordeste (Bragança/Vila Real, 2017/18); Festival Caminhos do Cinema Português (Coimbra, 2018); Festival de Música Cidade de Almada (Almada, 2018); Cistermúsica (Coimbra, 2019); Paralelo – Festival de Dança (Ponta Delgada, 2019); Entrelaçados – Festival de Dança Contemporânea (Silves/Portimão, 2020/21); A Cidade Dança (S. João da Madeira, 2021); Giro Dance Festival (Horta, 2021).

In Spain, the company participated in the Marató de L´Espectacle (Barcelona) festival’ editions XIV and XVI; was selected five times for the Feria de Teatro Ciudad Rodrigo; in 2006 was selected for the 26th Festival Fira de Teatre Al Carrer (Tàrrega), winning 1st prize for the best show.

Since 2004, the company has been to Poland several times, at the invitation of the Silesian Dance Theater / Festival Contemporary Dance Conference and Performance (Bytom, 2004/05/07), Polish Dance Theater / International Dance Theater Festival (Poznań, 2009/21), Gdansk Dance Festival / Baltic Movement Project (Gdansk, 2009); was the guest company of the festival Scena Otwarta (Tarnów, 2012); and performed at the Malta Festival Poznań (Poznań, 2019).

  • Switzerland: 2003, toured Lugano, Verscio, Basel, Lausanne, Zurich and Olten.
  • Italy: European Capital of Culture (Genoa, 2004); Bellini Theater (Naples, 2015); the Confi.Dance Festival (Siena, 2016); Paesaggi del Corpo (Velletri, 2021).
  • Greece:  2006, the company participated in the Xopeytez Dance Festival (Athens).
  • Croatia: Platform for Young Choreographers (Zagreb, 2007/2012), Platforma.hr (Zagreb, 2012/13) and KDF – Karlovac Dance Festival (Karlovac, 2017/18).
  • Czech Republic: , ProART festival (Prague, 2011/12).
  • Brazil:  2013 ENCUT Festival;  2016, the Mostra GiroDança (Goiânia).
  • China: In 2014 and 15, toured Hangzhou, Chongqing, Shanghai and Beijing; performed at the Shanghai China International Arts Festival, the largest performing arts festival in the country.
  • Germany: Danse en Ville/Tanzende Stadt (Düren/Herzogenrath, 2018/19) and Tanzfestival SoloDuo + friends (Cologne, 2020).
  • Belgium: Danse en Ville/Tanzende Stadt (Verviers/Eupen, 2019).

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Mark Freeman Papers, 1997-2017, University Archives, Special Collections and University Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.  Special Collections may be contacted via telephone (619-594-6791), fax (619-594-0466) or askscua@sdsu.edu