Creations

Choreography: Joëlle Bouvier
Music: Lucas Warin (composition and production) featuring music by Alfred Schnittke (1934–1998); Percussion Brazil, Lucas Warin, Francisco Canaro (1888–1964), Ivo Pelay (1893–1959); Octavio Barbero (n/a–1948), Carlos Pesce (1901–1975); Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750); Giya Kancheli (1935–2019), Luiz Bonfá (1922–2001), and Antonio Maria (1921–1964).
Costumes: Fábio Namatame
Lighting: Caetano Vilela
Duration: 30 min
Cast: 11 dancers
Preview: 2026 | José de Castro Mendes Municipal Theater, Campinas – SP
Premiere: 2026 | Sérgio Cardoso Theater, São Paulo – SP

Following the national and international success of Odisseia, Joëlle Bouvier creates her second work for the São Paulo Dance Company. In O Som da Chuva, the choreographer constructs a poetic journey through emotional states evoked by love, using female figures marked by desire, memory, and metamorphosis. Inspired by the power of the SPCD dancers and the force of Brazilian nature, the piece presents scenic tableaux driven by the movements and presence of the performers. Simple elements—such as balloons, fabrics, everyday objects, and an old gramophone—compose a delicate and dreamlike visual universe. The soundtrack brings together excerpts from works by Alfred Schnittke (1934–1998), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), Gija Kancheli (1935–2019), Francisco Canaro (1888–1964), Juan d’Arienzo (1900–1976), Luiz Bonfá (1922–2001), Antonio Maria (1921–1964) and Lucas Warin. Soundscapes of storms, wind, rain, and birds expand the sensory dimension of the scene and evoke atmospheres that shift between melancholy, humor, delicacy, and dramatic intensity. The light, layered costumes designed by Fábio Namatame, in dialogue with Caetano Vilela’s lighting, reinforce the scene’s poetic and imaginative atmosphere. Without resorting to a linear narrative, the work brings together abstraction, theatricality, and visual poetry, traversing states between dream, memory, transformation, and imagination.

Artistic Director: Inês Bogéa
Co-Artistic Director: Milton Coatti
Choreography: Sérgio Galdino
Music: Femme Fatale by Travis Lake; Quilombo Groove by Chico Science; Risoflora by Chico Science; Subúrbio Soul by DJ Dolores; Côco Dub by Chico Science and Lúcio Maia; Samba Makossa by Chico Science; and Maracatu Atômico by Jorge Mautner and Nelson Jacobina.
Soundtrack Assembly and Editing: Ruan Levy
Costumes: Cássio Brasil
Costume Assistant: Bartira Davis
Lighting: Mirella Brandi
Duration: 15 min. 41 sec.
Cast: 7 dancers
Premiere: 2026 | Estação Motiva Cultural, São Paulo – SP

ATÔMICO emerges from the cultural effervescence of the Northeast and takes maracatu de baque virado as its starting point, expanding into layers of sound that engage with electronic music. This fusion moves between manguebeat, rock, hip-hop, and electronic beats, creating connections between distinct universes and affirming cultural fusion as an aesthetic and political force. The body becomes the territory where this hybrid energy is inscribed, where cultural tradition and technological modernity meet in constant transformation.

Artistic Director: Inês Bogéa
Co-Artistic Director: Milton Coatti
Choreography: Letícia Forattini
Music: Senhor Carangeju by Xique-Xique; Return to Oneness by Kev Thompson; and Espelho Prata by Kurup
Costume Design: Cássio Brasil
Costume Assistant: Bartira Davis
Lighting: Mirella Brandi
Duration: 16 min
Cast: 8 dancers
Premiere: 2026 | Estação Motiva Cultural, São Paulo – SP

Inspired by creative processes and rehearsal spaces, play!ground presents the stage as a space open to experimentation and encounter. Balancing technical rigor with a willingness to play, the work celebrates creative freedom, listening, and play as the driving forces of dance. With a Brazilian soundscape, the piece affirms the body as ground—a place of support and, at the same time, a springboard for flight, expression, and transcendence.

São Paulo Dance Company
Artistic Director: Inês Bogéa
Co-Director: Milton Coatti
Choreography: Christine Ceconello
Assistant Choreographer: Irupé Sarmiento
Music: Nieve Pertinentes 1, Thomas Köner; Umgewissheit im Sinus, Alva Noto; O Matador, Sepultura, soundtrack from Lisbela e o Prisioneiro, Composers: João Falcão & André Moraes
Costumes: Cássio Brasil 
Lighting: Mirella Brandi
Premiere: 2025 | Estação Motiva Cultural, São Paulo – SP

Inspired by Zygmunt Bauman’s theory of liquid identity, this work, for Christine, reflects on the effects of hyperconnectivity, algorithmic control, and the fragmentation of the individual in the contemporary world. In Rostos à Deriva, the dancers represent an automated system of bodies that move as a collective organism, at times mechanical and repetitive. A central performer undergoes a physical journey in which their movements are constantly redirected by a “choreographic puzzle” constructed around them. He believes he is making autonomous choices, but is subtly guided by the group. His individuality gradually dissolves, until another body awakens and breaks with the automated logic, reopening the possibility of reconnecting with the human. The work proposes a fluid, unstable, and controlled choreographic field, where identity and freedom are strained by the invisible presence of algorithms.

São Paulo Dance Company
Artistic Director: Inês Bogéa
Co-Director: Milton Coatti
Choreography: Willer Rocha
Choreography Assistant: Mirko Ingrao
Dramaturgy: Mirko Ingrao
Music: The Ocean, by Linnea Olsson. Lachrimae, composed by Bryce Dessner; performed by Copenhagen Phil under the baton of Andre de Ridder. The Wider Sun, by Jon Hopkins
Costumes: Cássio Brasil 
Lighting: Mirella Brandi
Premiere: 2025 | Estação Motiva Cultural, São Paulo – SP

A poetic and lighthearted choreographic experience that celebrates the intensity of heat, the delicacy of the body, and the power of human connection. Inspired by the symbolic world of the sauna, LÖYLY delves into rituals of purification, thermal contrasts, and states of presence that awaken body and spirit. The word löyly, as Willer notes, comes from Finnish and refers to the steam that rises when water touches the glowing stones—more than just steam, löyly carries an ancestral and spiritual meaning: it is a breath of renewal, transcendence, and communion. The choreography traverses sensory landscapes: the ritual awakening, the intimacy of shared heat, the mythical presence of the steam master, the invigorating impact of the cold plunge, and the meditative return. A journey that transforms, warms, and reconnects. A deep dive into flesh and spirit, where sweat, touch, and breath become signs of our passage.

Choreography: Yoshi Suzuki
Music: 10 Lo schiavo, Activ Preludio. String Sonata – III – Largo – Adagio Lento e Calmo, composed by Antônio Carlos Gomes, performed by the the Ouro Preto Orchestra, conducted by Silvio Viegas. Salvator Rosa – Sinfonia (Overture), composed by Carlos Gomes, performed by the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra & Fabio Mechetti.
Costumes: Tatiana Dal Paschoale / Laviendanse
Cast: 11 dancers
Duration: 14 minutes and 44 seconds
Preview: 2025 | Fábrica de Cultura Diadema, Diadema – SP
Premiere: 2025 | Estação Motiva Cultural, São Paulo – SP

Alvorada is an ode to new beginnings, where the freshness of dawn translates into renewal and continuity. Even as he launches his career as a choreographer, the expressive dancer Yoshi Suzuki — who has been part of the SPCD cast since its inception — continues to dance with passion, keeping alive the essence that has always driven him. In this work, created for his colleagues at the São Paulo Dance Company, the gentle glide of the morning invites the body and soul to feel every emotion on the surface of the skin. 

Alvorada celebrates not only a new chapter, but also a choice of continuity by reaffirming the trajectory of an artist who reinvents himself, without ever abandoning his passion for movement.

This initiative is part of the Program for the Development of Future Skills for Dance Artists (PDHFAD) – Initiatives for Dancers – Career Transition, which encourages the SPCD’s artistic company to explore different career paths within the dance ecosystem.

Conception, choreography, and dramaturgy: Michael Bugdahn and Denise Namura
Original music composition, soundtrack, and text: Michael Bugdahn
Additional music: Manyfingers, Arcade Fire (Peter Gabriel)
Narrators (voice-over): Mario Spaziani (Portuguese), Jean-Damien Fleury (French), Jörg Schnass and Doris Streibl (German)
Videos: Doves and Noise and INDU 02, by Stefan Kranefeld – in modified versions
Additional video: Olhar, by Michael Bugdahn
Lighting: Caetano Vilela
Costumes: Fábio Namatame
Support: Centre National de la Danse, Pantin (prêt de studio) and La Ménagerie Technologique (Sophie Colin, Bertrand Manuel)
Dancers: 14
Duration: 28 minutes
Premiere: 2025 | Teatro Sérgio Cardoso, São Paulo, SP – Brazil

Who am I? And if so, how many? It is all too easy to lose oneself in our modern world, with all its knowledge, information, and an almost unlimited access to a vast array of content — a world in which natural resources are becoming ever more scarce and human relationships increasingly superficial. How can one build and forge a unique and authentic identity in a context that is not favorable to the individual, yet paradoxically glorifies the “self” — even as it tries to standardize it? How can we navigate this contradiction without denying our origins and particularities, while valuing our differences? The old question “Where do I come from and where am I going?” remains relevant. How can we project ourselves not only into an uncertain future but into the concrete reality of the present? After the collapse of utopias, in an era governed by extreme realism and its restrictions, the simple act of dreaming has become a gesture of resistance. Perhaps it is time to dream again. To dream an individual utopia — and make it not an illusion in a nonexistent place, but a possible reality, here and now, in some corner of the many worlds we inhabit. “We cannot fail to thank some people who have been — and continue to be — essential to the development of our work, not only here, but over so many years, such as Stefan Kranefeld, Doris Streibl, Genny Patah Namura, Harald Schwarzer, Jean-Damien Fleury, Jörg Schnass, Monika Bugdahn, and Silvia Namura Dias,” the choreographers emphasize.

be yourself – everyone else is already taken is the first work by Michael Bugdahn and Denise Namura for the São Paulo Dance Company.

Choreography: Carlos Pons Guerra
Music: Tanga, Album: A Man & His Music: El Padrino | Performer: Machito | Composer: Mario Bauza; La familia de Glória, Album: Almodóvar Early Films (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | Performer: Bernardo Bonezzi by Altafonte | Composer: Bernardo Bonezzi; Ilariê, Album: Xuxa em Espanhol | Composers: Cid Guerreiro, Dito, Ceinha; Bachianas brasileiras No. 5, W 389: I. Ária, Album: Villa-Lobos: Bachianas brasileiras No. 5, W 389: I. Ária – Sibelius: Lounnotar, Op. 70 – Ravel: Shéhérazade ℗ Sony Classical | Performers: Carl Stern, Leonard Bernstein, Netania Davrath, New York Philharmonic | Composers: Heitor Villa-Lobos, Manuel Bandeira, Ruth Valadares Corrêa; Ilaló (Ft. Mateo Kingman), Album: Bienaventuranza | Performers: Chancha Vía Circuito · Mateo Kingman ℗ 2018 | Composer: Pedro Canale; Mozamba, Album: Mozamba | Performers: Herbie Mann & Machito & His Afro Cubans | Composer: Herbie Mann; Lamento Borincano | Performer: Chavela Vargas | Composer: Rafael Hernandez; Arrastran el cadáver (From Volver), Album: Volver (Banda Sonora Original) | Performer: Alberto Iglesias | Composer: Alberto Iglesias; Los Pastores, Album: Bienaventuranza | Performers: Chancha Vía Circuito · Mateo Kingman ℗ 2018 | Composer: Pedro Canale.
Costume Design: Fernanda Yamamoto
Lighting Design: Wagner Freire
Dancers: 10
Duration: 35 min 30 sec
Pre-premiere: 2025 | Teatro Municipal Manoel Lyra, Santa Bárbara D’Oeste, SP – Brazil
Premiere: 2025 | Teatro Sérgio Cardoso, São Paulo, SP – Brazil 

In his first creation for the São Paulo Dance Company, Spanish choreographer Carlos Pons Guerra brings to center stage a story about beauty, resilience, and environmental imbalance. Striking flamingos dominate the scene, using irony and lyricism to reveal the tensions between spectacle and nature. Inspired by childhood memories in the Canary Islands and blending classical, contemporary, and animal-kingdom-inspired movement with a distinctly theatrical performance, the choreographer transforms the stage into a space where wildlife performs for our entertainment—while falling silent, becoming depleted, and growing ill. With costumes by Fernanda Yamamoto, evoking textures and volumes inspired by plumage; lighting by Wagner Freire, alternating between brilliance and shadow; and a soundtrack that drifts between lyricism, vaudeville, and exuberance, A Vingança do Flamingo is a deeply sensitive work that confronts the hidden cruelty behind its theme and invites empathy—for the planet, for animals, and for all that still has the strength to endure.

Choreography: George Céspedes
Choreography assistance: Aymara Rodrigues
Music: Original soundtrack by George Céspedes; Count to Six and Die (The Vacuum of Infinite Space Encompassing) by Marilyn Manson and John Lowery, The Golden Age of Grotesque by Brian Warner and Tim Skold, both performed by Marilyn Manson; Candil de Nieve by Raúl Torres, performed by Pablo Milanés.
Costume: Marco Lima
Lighting: André Boll
*Attention: This performance contains a scene with strobe effects that may affect photosensitive viewers.

Ataraxia is a Greek-origin word that means the absence of disturbance. In Stoicism, it is a central concept that suggests pain does not stem from change but from resistance to it. The goal is to achieve a state of unwavering serenity, in which the mind remains balanced in the face of adversity. This dynamic between control and surrender forms the foundation of George Céspedes’ new creation for São Paulo Companhia de Dança, which shares the same name.

This is Céspedes’ first work for a Brazilian company. Recognized for his distinctive style—combining dance with geometric and mathematical elements—the choreographer, one of the leading figures in global contemporary dance, creates large shapes on stage through the synchronized movement of groups of dancers, adding dynamic and emotional contrasts to the narrative.

The lighting accentuates the precision of the movements and enhances the atmosphere, amplifying the emotional impact. Meanwhile, the costumes, inspired by streetwear, engage with contemporary aesthetics, offering freedom of movement and individual expression while contributing to the work’s urban and vibrant essence.

Choreography: Alex Soares
Musics: Matais de Incêndios, anonymous, performed by Vox Brasiliensis and Ricardo Kanji; Partita for 8 Voices, No.4 Passacaglia, Caroline Shaw, performed by Brad Wells and Roomful of Teeth; Final Parade, Felix Rösch; Obstacle Course, Christophe Zurfluh
Costume: Cassiano Grandi
Lighting: Wagner Freire
Premiere: 2024 | Sesc Guarulhos, Guarulhos – SP

Choreography: Leilane Teles
Musics: Grupo Krahó, by Indios Krahó, performed by Marlui Miranda; Pasha Dume Pae, by Amazon Ensemble; Canto da Liberdade, by Akaiê Sramana, performed by Akaiê Sramana; Tchori Tchori feat. Uakti, by Marlui Miranda and Índios Jaboti de Rondônia, performed by Marlui Miranda, Rodolfo Stroeter, Uakti; Mae Inini (The Power of the Earth), by Amazon Ensemble; Tamburim, by Josy.Anne; Kworo Kango, by Canto Kaiapó, performed by Berimbaobab Brasil.
Music Production: Fernando Leite
Lighting: Gabriele Souza
Costume: André von Schimonsky
Costume assistant: Wellington Araújo
Props designer: Satie Inafuku
Consultants for Indigenous Affairs: Cristiane Takuá and Carlos Papá Mirim Poty
Duration: 19 minutes
Preview: 2024 | Teatro Municipal Manoel Lyra, Santa Bárbara D’Oeste – SP

Choreography: Jomar Mesquita
Choreography assistant: Rúbia Frutuoso
Musics: Poema Saudades, by Arnaldo Antunes; Assum Preto, by Luiz Gonzaga and Humberto Teixeira (performer: Jorge Du Peixe); Fim de Festa, by Itamar Assumpção (performers: Naná Vasconcelos and Itamar Assumpção); Carinhoso, by João de Barro and Pixinguinha (performer: Elza Soares); Como 2 e 2, by Caetano Veloso (performers: Arnaldo Antunes and Vitor Araújo); Samba da Benção, by Baden Powell and Vinícius de Moraes (performer: Maria Bethânia); Avisa, by Tato (performer: Cida Moreira); Juízo Final, by Elcio Soares; Nelson Cavaquinho (performer: Arnaldo Antunes); Manhã de Carnaval, by Luís Bonfa and Antônio Maria (performers: Jean Pascal Quiles, Louis Quiles, and Nelly Decamp); voices of the dancers in the cast.
Costume: Agustina Comas
Lighting: André Boll
Premiere: 2024 | Teatro Sérgio Cardoso | São Paulo – SP

Choreography and lighting: Henrique Rodovalho
Music: Obatalá, written by Kiko Dinucci, interpretation and production by Metá Metá
Costume: Fábio Namatame
Cast: 7 dancers
Duration: 8 minutes

Choreography: Beatriz Hack
Musics: Boi nº1, by Foli Griô Orquestra with Cacau Amaral; Nordavindens Klagesang, by Vàli; Giardini Di Boboli, by Manos Milonakis feat. Jacob David and Grégoire Blanc; Encruzilhada, by Tulio; and Marie, by Cristobal Tapia De Veer – mixed by Renan Lemos.
Costume: Balletto
Duration: 14 minutes e 44 seconds
Cast: 7 dancers
Preview: 2024 | Teatro Municipal de Itapevi, Itapevi/SP

Choreography and lighting: Stephen Shropshire
Music: Symphony no 8: IV: Finale de Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Costume: Fabio Namatame
Duration: 22 minutes
Cast: 10 dancers
Preview: 2023 | Sesc Guarulhos, Guarulhos, SP
Premiere: 2024 | Linz, Áustria

Conception and Choreography: Eduardo Fukushima
Musical arrangement: from Fukushima based on Night’s Calling by Rodolphe Alexis; Summertime by Tunekichi Suzuki; and Sedna by Kyungso Park.
Artistic Collaboration and Coreography assistant: Beatriz Sano
Textual Collaboration: Isabel Ramos Monteiro
Acknowledgment: Toshi Tanaka (leque)
Costume: Cláudia Schapira
Lighting: Caetano Vilela
Premiere: 2023 | Centro Cultural São Paulo, São Paulo/SP

This work was part of the Ensejos project, a partnership with the Centro Cultural São Paulo, curated by Mark Van Loo and directed by Rodolfo Beltrão.

Ver o Ar Ouvir o Verão is a choreographic score created by Eduardo Fukushima based on his research with Chinese and Japanese body practices, intertwining contemporary dance and performance through multiple references. “Air is the main substance of this choreography. It is an attempt to choreograph it, to shed light on its simultaneously concrete and invisible matter that envelops and unites us. Is there someone in the wind? The wind passes, and what was once summer is now autumn. But we still need to listen to the warmth, to hear the summer,” says the choreographer. This is a dance for the forces of the wind.

Choreography: Poliane Fogaça
Musics: Canción para un Niño en la Calle, by Algel Ritro, Armando Tejada, René Pérez; Alfonsina y El Mar, by Ariel Ramírez, Feliz Cezar Luna; Razón de Vivir, by Victor Heredia; and Canción Con Todos, by Armando Tejada Gomez, Cézar Isella.
Lighting: Caetano Vilela
Costume: Cláudia Schapira
Duration: 15 minutes
Cast: 7 dancers
Premiere: 2023 | Centro Cultural São Paulo, São Paulo/SP

This work was part of the Ensejos project, a partnership with the Centro Cultural São Paulo, curated by Mark Van Loo and directed by Rodolfo Beltrão.

Inspired loosely by the literary work “Las venas abiertas de América Latina” by Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano (1940-2015) and set to the songs of Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa (1935-2009), Veias Abertas by Poliane Fogaça proposes a meeting between these two great artists who shared the common goal of telling the stories of Latin American peoples. Galeano tells us that “the future always needs to be reinvented,” while Mercedes said “it is necessary to give voice to those who have no voice.” The work reveals social aspects—such as hunger, lack of opportunity, and the struggle against repression—as well as resilience, love for others, and a sense of unity among peoples. “Perhaps it is a utopia to believe that it is possible to stop the blood from the open veins of our society. But let it be a dream in action, an act of hoping for a new future of justice and unity. Through the poetics of the art of dance, may the pain cease, may the wound heal, and may it inspire us at every step to be and stand by one another,” says the choreographer.

Choreography: Lili de Grammont
Musics: by Ed Côrtes, featuring the songs Você é Doida Demais, Vou Rifar Meu Coração, and Linda, by Lindomar Castilho.
Lighting: Caetano Vilela
Costume: Cláudia Schapira
Premiere: 2023 | Centro Cultural São Paulo, São Paulo/SP

This work was part of the Ensejos project, a partnership with the Centro Cultural São Paulo, curated by Mark Van Loo and directed by Rodolfo Beltrão.

Using the classics of Lindomar Castilho, such as “Você é Doida Demais,” “Vou Rifar Meu Coração,” and “Linda” — revisited and modernized by composer Ed Côrtes — choreographer Lili de Grammont creates her first work for Sao Paulo Dance Company, based on one of the most well-known passionate cases in the country: the femicide of Eliane de Grammont, her mother, by Lindomar Castilho, her father. The dramaturgy of the piece is constructed from Lili’s brushstrokes of memories related to the story. “The narrative is not direct, nor does it intend to tell the story. It is an inspiration, filled with feelings and complexities. Memória em Conta-Gotas exposes vulnerability and sadness, but above all, it engages in a dialogue about how to move forward with courage and hope,” she says.

Choreography: Arilton Assunção
Choreography assistant: Henrique Duarte e Samuel Elias Rodrigues
Musics: Teia de Renda, by Milton Nascimento and Túlio Mourão; and Evocação das Montanhas, by Henrique de Curitiba
Soundtrack mixing: Lucas Romualdo
Lighting: Caetano Vilela
Costume: Cláudia Schapira
Premiere: 2023 | Centro Cultural São Paulo, São Paulo/SP

This work was part of the Ensejos project, a partnership with the Centro Cultural São Paulo, curated by Mark Van Loo and directed by Rodolfo Beltrão.

Teia de Renda, by Arilton Assunção, draws on themes such as literature, poetry, dramaturgy, politics, and religiosity in motion to construct the work. The choreography finds its inspiration and freedom of conception in the compositions “Teia de Renda” and “Evocação das Montanhas.”

“A web that sustains, nourishes, unites, and separates relationships,” says Arilton.

Choreography: Lucas Valente
Musics: Em Transe, by Cadu Tenório & Márcio Bulk, sung by Lívia Nestrovski; Fragmentos, by Cadu Tenório; and Afterglow, by Rival Consoles.
Lighting: Nicolas Marchi
Costume: UMA – Raquel Davidowicz
Duration: 15 minutes
Cast: 3 dancers
Premiere: 2023 | Sesc Guarulhos, Guarulhos, SP