A festival that wants to «cross different audiences» and make the Algarve «a cultural destination» also in the low season months: this is Pedra Dura – Algarve Dance Festival, which returns to Lagos to promote, between the 9th and 18th of November , a “face-to-face” and “body-to-body” encounter.
After the “success” of the first edition, which had a smaller program, this year, the artistic directors wanted to expand the range of options and, therefore, for two weeks, there will be shows by national and international artists, nights with DJ, films, masterclasses, conversations and even proposals related to science, schools and the public.
The programming tries, according to Daniel Matos, artistic director, «to be as broad as possible» and for all age groups.
«The idea is for it to be a festival that can cross different audiences and get people who don't usually frequent the same spaces to communicate», he tells the Sul Informação this responsible.
In addition to the partnerships that came from the first edition, such as the Centro de Ciência Viva de Lagos or the Escola de Dança de Lagos, Pedra Dura obtained more support this year, namely from DGArtes, which allowed greater financing.
The Festival opens today, November 9th, with the screening of the film “Ø ILHA”, by Cláudia Varejão and Joana Castro, at 21:45 pm at the Lagos Cultural Center.
On the same day, in collaboration with CAMADA – Centro Coreográfico, Daniel Matos inaugurates the stage at the Centro Cultural de Lagos with 11 Angels Saying, at 11 am, where a choreographic score will be designed for 00 angels.
With a diverse and always updated program, Pedra Dura will focus on the work of Luara Raio, Brazilian dancer and choreographer, who arrives in a double dose with Flecha, where she presents a dance between the degeneration and regeneration of the body, and Pedra A tarot activation lecture-performance was launched, open to public participation.
The artist Flora Detráz comes from France to present Tutuguri, on the 10th, at 21 pm, at the Armazém Regional de Lagos, «a show where sound and space are manipulated with a voice that reveals the power of subtlety».
Between the delicacy and the attack of the detail of the body and the word, Sofia Dias and Vítor Roriz occupy the stage at the Centro Cultural de Lagos with the play “A gesture that is no more than a threat”, which takes the stage on the 11th, at 21pm.
Marta Cerqueira and Simão Costa present Movediço #3, on the 15th, at 10:30 am, a show about what moves and what changes place. Between cracks, cliffs and trails, cellist and singer Joana Guerra also presents her latest album Chão Vermelho, in a solo concert.
In partnership with the Dance On Screen Graz Festival (Austria), directed by Valentina Moar, Pedra Dura opens up space for the relationship between dance and the screen through an international video dance selection in the Osso-Locomotiva program, on the 18th, at 16:30 p.m. In parallel, Pedra Dura designed the cycle “The Unspeakable Invisible” in the exhibition of five children's film sessions dedicated to primary schools in the municipality of Lagos.
Through the partnership with the Centro Ciência Viva de Lagos, conversations around Sound and Semiotics, geological tours along the cliffs of Ponta da Piedade and night observation of the sky are proposed.
As a way of contributing to the formation of local communities, masterclasses will also be organized with dancers and choreographers Luís Guerra, Natacha Campos and Elizabete Francisca, as well as a Yoga session with Om Soraia, taking place on the 12th, at 10am, at the School of Lagos Dance.
In addition to the stage work, Pedra Dura will host the inauguration of CenDDA – Centro de Documentação de Dança do Algarve, a project that seeks to «collect, acquire and archive materials that reflect a changing dance, through the creation of a Library and an Archive / Media Library based at the Lagos Cultural Center».
In order to strengthen relations with the public, the festival also has the project “Can we treat ourselves for you?”, coordinated by Tiago Mansilha, which will consist of a cycle of conversations between the public and artists and the launch of the Pedra Dura Podcast .
Created following an invitation from the Chamber of Lagos to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Cultural Center, Pedra Dura was also born from the «great need to create a festival with these specificities in the South region because it is a region that has a festival dedicated to dance, but with very different programs», explains Daniel Matos. As 2022 “went very well”, bringing together almost 130 people in some events, it was decided to move forward with more editions.
As for the chosen date, the artistic director clarifies that the idea is for it to always be in November «so that there is a return not only to the visiting public but also to the local community».
«We know that the Algarve is a seaside resort, which lives a lot on tourism and a seasonal season, and, therefore, we, as professionals in the field of culture, are interested in this festival being able to take place in a non-tourist season so that the territory is valued as a territory that can function throughout the year», he concludes.
Pedra Dura has free activities, with the exception of the shows that take place at the Lagos Cultural Center, which have a maximum cost of 5 euros.
See the full program here
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