Pedra Dura Dance Festival Returns to Lagos with Multidisciplinary 5th Edition

The 5th edition of Pedra Dura – Algarve Dance Festival returns to Lagos from 4 to 14 November, bringing a comprehensive programme of contemporary dance, cinema, music, exhibitions, masterclasses, and talks across multiple venues in the city. Under the theme “We go back without repeating the moment,” this year’s festival explores the space between memory and change, permanence and reinvention.

Co-produced by Cama – Associação Cultural and the Municipality of Lagos, with artistic direction by Daniel Matos and Joana Flor Duarte and support from Direção Geral das Artes, the festival connects international creators with national artists.

Dance Highlights and Major Performances

The dance programme features a wide range of international and national works:

• Alessandro Sciarroni presents Save the Last Dance for Me, a contemporary duet reviving the traditional Bolognese courtship dance polka chinata.
• Vera Mantero performs her 1996 solo uma misteriosa Coisa, disse o e.e. cummings, originally created for a tribute to Josephine Baker at Culturgest.
• Clara Andermatt brings O Cansaço dos Santos, exploring ritualistic icons and intense physical expression.
• Tales Frey presents Be (on) you, investigating identity and desire in public space, alongside his installation Zona de Contacto at the Lagos Museum and a masterclass on performance garments.
• Sarah Baltzinger and Isaiah Wilson present Megastructure, examining cohabitation through two bodies, with interpreter Chiara Corbetta leading a coreographic masterclass.
• Bruno Senune features in two pieces: Nácar, exploring childhood memories, and Melancolia, a public space ritual.
• Polina Kanis presents the video-performance Celebration, questioning power structures.
• National creations include Final Girl by Rina Marques and Rui Paixão (inspired by horror cinema and survival), SECO by Bernardo Chatillon (body expression and contemporary experience), This is Not a Love Story, This is A & B by Maurícia | Neves, Grief in progress by BULLYACHE, and Ioanna Anousaki’s An embodied exploration of human manipulation.

Cinema, Music, and Visual Arts

The festival extends well beyond the stage into film, music, and visual arts:

• Cinema Programme: Features five films exploring body and memory, including Pele Nómada (Aline Belfort and João Fiadeiro), Crying Cycle III (Daniel Matos and João Catarino), O Corpo que Atravessa (Mário J. Negrão, tailored for schools), Bull’s Heart (Eva Stefania, following artist Dimitris Papaioannou), and Flora Détraz’s HURLE.
• Music & DJ Lineup: Includes concert-performances Delíria by ANTERA, HÍBRIDA by REZMORAH, and Cláudia Simões’ project alga. DJ sets feature Von-Cente, João Melgueira, and Tiago Assis (Mad Roller Disco), Guilhotina (Cumbia Sunset), and VNHQ (tribal, afro, and electro house).
• Exhibitions & Installations: Features a new exhibition by the Algarve Dance Documentation Centre (CenDDA) in partnership with the Dr. Júlio Dantas Municipal Library, and Ruben Bellinkx’s projection installation Roommates (Double Bind and Stasis) at the Lagos Cultural Centre.

Residencies, Community Engagement, and Reflection

• Science & Education: Renews a partnership with Centro Ciência Viva de Lagos for José Ferreira’s performative visit Aqui há um buraco and school lectures on the Enlightenment and Renaissance.
• Residencies & Publications: Hosts national and international artistic residencies (in partnership with Estúdios Victor Córdon, Centro Ciência Viva, Kultur | LX, and TROIS C-L) and launches the latest issue of Coreia magazine featuring a performance by Wura Moraes.
• Debate & Reflection: Includes Rita Rodrigues’ Corpo Crítico collective observation project, as well as post-show talks and the podcast Podemos tratar-nos por tu? hosted by Tiago Mansilha.

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