© Rui Paixão / “FINAL GIRL”, by Rina Marques and Rui Paixão
FINAL GIRL emerged from an invitation by dancer Rina Marques to clown and director Rui Paixão to direct a dance solo.
In horror cinema, the term “final girl” or “survivor girl” refers to the last woman alive to confront the killer — the one who survives to tell the story. This concept serves as the starting point for a performance that seeks to build a clown-inspired visual and choreographic universe.
Rui Paixão is a clown of the worst kind.
A creator and performer with a special interest in public space, he specializes in physical theatre, clowning, and contemporary circus. With international experience, he has worked twice with the prestigious Cirque du Soleil and currently collaborates as a performer with choreographer Marlene Monteiro Freitas, being part of the cast of NÔT, premiering at the Festival d’Avignon 2025. In 2022, he took on the artistic direction of the Coliseu do Porto’s Circus, and since 2015, he has been the author of his own shows.
Rina Marques is a dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher.
With roots in street and club dance, she began developing her own artistic work and collaborating with other artists in 2017, including Mathilde Monnier, Joan Jonas, Sofia Dias & Vítor Roriz, and Joana Providência. She is the founder of the DESCARGA Jams project, which organizes jam sessions and fosters encounters between different artistic practices.
Dance, M6 – 30 min
feminine – clown – ventriloquism – grotesque
Sep 25 and 26 / Grande Auditório do TCA
Artistic direction, set and costume design: Rui Paixão
Co-creation and performance: Rina Marques
Sound design and technical direction: Pedro Almeida
Artistic mentorship: Catarina Barros
Graphic design: Mosca que Ladra
Co-production: Instável – Centro Coreográfico and Teatro Municipal do Porto, within the scope of the Palcos Instáveis project
Creation support in artistic residency: ICC – Imaginarius Centro de Criação, Instável Centro Coreográfico/Palcos Instáveis, and Companhia Erva Daninha
Winner of the Imaginarius 2025 Local Creation Support Call