A dance of self-defence and the power of creative resistance

Two dancers, both naked apart from socks and trainers, move in unison. Between moments of stillness, sudden movements synchronise with the sound of their stomping feet – the rhythmic heartbeat that underscores the defiant performance.

In 2018, Davi Pontes & Wallace Ferreira came together to create a trilogy of choreographies of self-defence in the face of physical, imaginary, and systemic violence. Repertório N.3 is the final piece of this trilogy and premiered in December 2023 at the 35th Bienal de São Paulo.

Drawing on postcolonial, gender and race studies, with references to martial arts, they seek to establish new ways of representing experiences of violence against oppressed groups.

The work attempts to understand how the body develops the capacity to defend itself, and asks the question, how can we perform violence without condoning it?

Header image description: Two naked dancers lie on their stomachs facing each other. They hold their faces up to the front and gaze piercingly to the camera. They wear nothing but white socks and shoes.

Header image © Fe Avilla