Each of Tânia Carvalho’s performative proposals takes us into a mysterious place of confluence for shadow-figures, cinematic images and ghostly representations.  The artist moves between choreography and performance, film and musical composition, to bring us a metaphorical dimension of reality with each new project. Taking the visual oeuvre of Louise Bourgeois shown at the Serralves Museum as her starting point, along with possible intersections with the choreographer’s creative universe, Tânia Carvalho created the piece ‘Por Baixo de Mão’ [Under hand] and the poem-text:

I have a ghost within who sees me only within

in the dark

there is no outside

great fear and fleeting beauty

run

with him

he vanishes and I am there

endless

the off-hand beginning

me under his hand

Tânia Carvalho’s career as a choreographer spans over twenty years. She is a regular presence at theatres, festivals and arts residencies both in Portugal and abroad. She has created pieces for Ballet de l’Opera de Lyon (‘Xylographie’), Companhia Nacional de Bailado (S), Dançando com a Diferença (‘Doesdicon’) and Ballet National de Marseille (‘one of four periods in time’). Her music projects include ‘Madmud’, ‘Idiolecto’ e ‘dubloc barulin’. In 2018 she directed her first film ‘Um Saco e uma Pedra – peça de dança para ecrã’ [A bag and a stone – a dance piece for the screen].