Filipe MOREIRA
Dancer

Filipe received a grant to participate in the Camping project organised by the Centre National de la Danse.

What is your artistic background ?
I am a choreographer, dancer, actor and singer. I graduated in Choreography from Falmouth University in the UK in 2013 and have a background in theatre from Academia Contemporânea do Espetáculo (2005-2009) in Portugal. I have also studied costume design and opera singing. In 2012, I was granted an artistic fund by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to develop my artistic research into street theatre in São Paulo, Brazil. I have worked both as an independent artist and in collaboration with several Portuguese and international organizations and institutions, having performed in various events and festivals in different countries. I am aiming to cross different fields of artistic expression in this artistic work—so everything comes together with a specific purpose in mind, to create artistic objects that are naturally hybridised, in which body, voice and movement build a multifaceted and unique universe. I am a vocalist with Vurtiga, an experimental music band, and am a performer and co-creator of the Radar 360 theatre company (2010-2017) and USINA (2012-2017) in Portugal. I have worked with Madalena Victorino (2015), Emmalena Fredriksson (2013), the Trisha Brown Dance Company (2011), Willi Dorner (2010), Joana Providência (2010), Sofia Dias & Vítor Roriz (2010), and the Companhia Instável (2010) amongst others.

How do you see your profession today ?
Pleasurable, gratifying and hard. Most of the artists cannot live just from their art; in general they have to do one or more part-time jobs to survive, invest in workshops or education and then also create. I still think we artists have to be very united and some entities should see and support more culture, including the new and young works. For me, culture is not about spending money, but it is an economic and social investment in the future.

How do you see yourself in 5 years ? In 10 years ?
Throughout my professional career, I have worked in theater, dance and music, with commitment, rigor and persistence. Articulating creativity and generosity, both qualities allow me a solid interpretation, through the exploration of new languages, new experiences and new collaborations. What I sincerely hope for my future is to continue to have this solid work with more recognition and financial support. 

This interview was conducted in 2017
Photo credit: Antonin Amy-Menichetti