© DR / Festival “Lá Fora”, “Esfinge”, created and interpreted by Ana Isabel Castro under the project “Percursos Pela Arquitetura”

Instável Centro Coreográfico

Instável – Choreographic Centre aims at the enhancement of contemporary dance makers and performers from Porto and the northern region of Portugal, through the creation of opportunities and seeking better ways for promoting their artistic practices.

With work in the areas of artistic creation, training and support of to creators, research and audience development, Instável affirms itself as a live and informal space, where multiple creators and performers pass by, such as an experimenting incubator, where meetings, work and learning are promoted, always based on the grounds of collaboration and encouragement.

 

Instável was founded in 1999 by Ana Figueira, making itself known through the creations of the Company: each year, a guest creator, a group of performers selected through auditions, a new work, a tour, the natural fading of a production as a new production would arise, in a renewed cycle.

In 2012, with its relocation to Teatro do Campo Alegre (currently part of the Municipal Theatre of Porto), Instável expand its activity, starting a program of artistic residencies and of support and encouragement to makers and performers. The support of the Municipal Theatre of Porto and the Ministry of Culture have brought Instável to be a well known Choreographic Centre in Porto and Northern Region, in a dynamic space that privileges learning, experimenting and creating in dance.

© Teatro Municipal de Vila Real / "Assim, tipo... Dança Contemporânea, by Tiago Rodrigues, interpreted by Diletta Bindi, Gustavo Monteiro and Liliana Garcia

The Team

The Instável team modifies itself according to the projects at hand, being extended or reduced many times throughout each year.

Many times, the teams intersect, e.g. when a dancer from an artistic team in one of the Company’s projects becomes a Tutor in one of the Training Programs, a Mentor in an Artistic Residency or a Creator in a specific project.

More than a hundred people collaborate with Instável each year, among tutors, choreographers, dancers, technicians and producers.

In Instável, the nuclear team consists currently of seven elements.

Artistic Direction
Ana Figueira
diretora@companhiainstavel.pt

Production Direction
Rita Santos
lugar@companhiainstavel.pt

Project Manager and communication support
Catarina Serrazina
producao2@companhiainstavel.pt

Executive Producer and Stage Director
Rita Tavares
residenciasinstavel@gmail.com

Producer Palcos Instáveis and Segunda Casa
Edna Vidigal
gabinetedifusao@gmail.com

Communication
Raquel Vinhas
comunicacao@companhiainstavel.pt

Sales
Marta Santos
cinstavel@gmail.com

Ana Figueira

Ana Figueira

Ana Figueira has a Bachelor in Dance from Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, UTL. Through an ERAMUS grant, she attended Laban Centre, London, where she completed her internship with 19/20 points. Master in Artistic Performance-Dance – FMH, 1999. Post-graduate in Arts Management – AEP. Founded NEC and was its director for 12 years, leaving the role when she was invited, in 2005, to be the programmer for dance in Teatro Aveirense, where she remained until 2007, having later taken on the role of artistic director until October 2009. In this theatre, Ana also worked as the production director. From 1998 until the present day, she founded and directed Companhia Instável (now rebranded Instável – Centro Coreográfico). Ana Figueira was responsible for the cultural activities of Narciso Ferreira Foundation for 18 years. Produced Mudanças 2002, which was a platform that included six theatres from Porto. Directed Festival Invicta Cidade que Dança (NEC) from 1999 until 2001, and the 4 editions of Festival Arte e Novas Tecnologias, Aveiro. In 1993/94, she was a consultant of Coliseu do Porto within the dance area. Ana was a guest teacher at ESE, in the classes of dance in community and Management and Production (CGPAE) – Fórum Dança, Porto. Since 2002, she has been a guest teacher in Cultural Marketing and Advertising and production of the Stage Direction Course from ESMAE. Since 1992, she has been teaching at Ginasiano-Escola de Dança. She is frequently invited as a jury for several projects, notably the PT program – Portuguese Performing Arts Platform, Criatório and SPA 2023 Awards.

Ana has developed her work as a choreographer between the years of 1989 to 98. Through the projects she created for NEC and Companhia Instável, she has had a relevant role in the encouragement of young creators and performers, as well as in the development of the dance scene in Porto. The work she had been building, both with creators, or as a programmer, bestows her with a deep comprehension of the domain, not only in the perspective of the offer, but also the demand. Ana’s work as a tutor and experience as a choreographer create a broad perception of the various strands of the area and, in the case of tutoring, a close knowledge of future generations of creators and performers. She has had, coming up 20 years, dedicated her life to the development of the artistic tissue and, in more recent years, also focused on audience development for Dance.

rita-santos

Rita Santos

Rita Santos, born in Vila Nova de Gaia, has a Bachelor in Heritage Management from Escola Superior de Educação do Porto, 2012. She has been collaborating with Instável – Centro Coreográfico, as a producer, currently assuming the role of Production Director. She has been accompanying all projects of the Company since then, highlighting the collaborations with creators such as Tiago Rodrigues, Emmanuelle Huynn, Cia 7273, Roberto Olivan, Mafalda Deville and, recently, Helder Seabra.

catarina-serr

Catarina Serrazina

Catarina works in the Portuguese cultural sector since 2013. Throughout the years, she has had the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from diverse structures and projects, in many points of the country. She is interested in collaborative projects that bring wonder and propose more conscious and responsible practices. Her academic training incides in the areas of communication, cultural management and human ecology. She is a regular practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga and prone to long distance runs in the mountains.

rita-tav

Rita Tavares

Born in 1999 in Porto. Completed her high school studies at Escola Profissional Balleteatro in the course of Interpretation. In 2021, she concluded her Bachelor in Stage Direction and Production, at ESMAE.
Within the area of Production, she has, for two years, supported the production of Festival Fimp and Festival Set. Academically, she has worked as a Stage Director and Producer with Paulo Calatré, Kenia Dias, Graeme Pulleyn and António Durães. Professionally, she is a Directing member of the Cultural Association GAIVOTÀJANELA, which since 2021 has designed social intervention projects, in the field of Theatre. Currently, she is carrying out a professional internship at Instável – Centro Coreográfico.

raqul-vi

Raquel Vinhas

After volunteering at Curtas Vila do Conde, city where she is from, Raquel completed the Bachelor in Journalism and Communication with a minor in Artistic Studies, and concluded the Masters in Anthropology, specialising in Visual Cultures. She had the opportunity of briefly being an intern at TSF Rádio Notícias and of volunteering in Bulgaria. In 2018, she started her professional career at Teatrão, Coimbra. At the beginning of 2022, Raquel started working with Instável – Centro Coreográfico, integrating the team of communication and consulting.

marta-san

Marta Santos

With a Bachelor in Journalism, Marta started her professional path in local journals and radios. In 1998, she assumed the role of Press Consultant at the City Hall of Aveiro. In 2006, the field of Culture emerged unexpectedly, at Teatro Aveirense, as a Programming Assistant. Here, she grew as a professional but mostly as an individual and member of the audience, and realised the importance of artistic creation and the value of this sector. In 2013, she joined the business area. She left the Theatre but never ceased to be a supporter and enjoyer of Culture. Instável A Instável – Centro Coreográfico opened its doors to her in 2021 and she has since taken the role of advertisement for new creations.

 

*Team photography by Tomás Laranjo.

Support and Partners

Instável has been developing its activity in articulation with a vast net of partners, local, regional, national and international, who recognize themselves in Instável’s work and embrace its work.

Instável is supported by the Portuguese Republic – Culture / Direção-Geral das Artes and by the program “Bolsas para a formação Fundação GDA”.

It also counts with the support from the City Hall of Porto and the Municipal Theatre, being a resident structure at Teatro do Campo Alegre, Porto, within the program Teatro em Campo Aberto.

As continuous partners we highlight the Serralves Foundation, Casa da Arquitetura, the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto, the Municipal Theatre of Vila Real, Teatro Aveirense, Theatro Circo, Teatro de Torres Vedras, Cineteatro Alba, Convento de S. Francisco, Cineteatro de Estarreja, Teatro Viriato and Casa das Artes de Famalicão.

In recent years, Instável has relied on the support of programs and entities such as IBERESCENA, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Mostra Espanha and the Embassy of Austria.

The Space

Instável is located on the 1st floor of Teatro Campo Alegre, at Rua das Estrelas, Porto, Portugal.