Algarvian Dance School competes in the national finals
On 11 January, Dancexpression, an Anglo-Portuguese dance school located in Portimão, performed in the national finals of the dance competition Portugal a Dançar.
The competition dances were choreographed by Tiffanie Jorge and Heidi Silva. Hurt, choreographed by Heidi, explores the difficulties of connecting with a parent, while Mulher Máquina, choreographed by Tiffanie, is a contemporary, unique and original dance in which a trio tries to find friendship in an increasingly technological future.
Professional dancer Heidi Silva, who founded Dancexpression in 2009, described Tiffanie as “amazing” and “an asset to the town of Portimão”.
Heidi trained at her local dance school, the NYDZA School of Dance in West Yorkshire. She went on to study at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey, where she gained a musical theatre degree and teaching qualifications with the ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing). After graduating in 1999, she starred as Bert in the German production of Sesame Street (Sesamstrasse) and performed in tours, casinos and cruises worldwide.
In 2004, while performing in a casino in the Algarve, Heidi met and fell in love with her husband and Portugal – a country she would later call home. Heidi has been living in Portugal for 20 years and feels “very much a part of the community”.
Heidi has taught dance in nine different schools in Portimão since 2009. After making a name for herself in Portimão, by 2018 she had gained enough students to open her dance school in Pedra Mourinha. It comprises of two studios which allow her to work with other teachers, expanding the disciplines on offer to drama, musical theatre tap dance hip hop, contemporary, acrobatics, ballet and modern dancing, along with adult lessons for tap and ballet.
After the pandemic, Heidi believed her students were ready to take on more challenges and opportunities to “see the world”, so they started preparing for their first competition. Their first shot at Portugal a Dançar did not get them very far. Their second try got them to the Portimão finals, and their third attempt got them to the nationals. They have also competed in Dançarte and CND, where Dancexpression was recognised for five awards. These competitions give the dancers amazing experiences and accolades for the dance school.
In addition to the competition, as a part of each regional edition, Portugal a Dançar hosts workshops in three different dance styles, including – flamenco, ballet, K-pop and everything in between. This allows the dancers and competitors to work with other teachers and styles.
Since May, Dancexpression has invested countless hours in creating the choreographies. Although they did not win the competition, they believe that if their dances touched the hearts of the people watching, their performance was a success.
I leave you with Dancexpression’s motto; “My hearts lifts my feet, and I dance.”
The dancers
Lea Silva
Heidi’s daughter, Lea Silva is 14 years old and has danced since she was three. She practises ballet, modern dance, tap dancing, contemporary, musical theatre, acrobatics and drama, and dances for about seven hours a week and plans to “keep dancing until she grows old”.
Rebeca Pasarica
Rebeca Pasarica is 17 and has been dancing since she was four. She dances in many styles, including ballet, modern, musical theatre and contemporary. To Rebeca, the importance of being in the finals is the experience she gets when competing against Portugal’s finest dancers and the validation of the hard work they have put into the art over all those years. Rebeca dances for about three hours a week and hopes to continue dancing.
Iara Matos
Iara Matos is 16 years old and has danced since she was three. Her first experiences were with hip hop and ballet, but she later took on jazz, contemporary and break dancing, practising for over eight hours a week. And she would like to try out circus arts in the future. To Iara, Portugal a Dançar is an opportunity to create stronger bonds with her fellow dancers by doing what they love.
