“TAMBOR”, de Melissa Pérez Sousa
TAMBOR is a contemporary dance creation — a solo performance — rooted in autobiographical memories, cultural practices and experiences of migration. On stage, a body searches for states of physical intensity, drawing on the vocabularies of Venezuelan folk dance, street dance and clubbing cultures. Between power, endurance and celebration, the choreographic score emerges through the deconstruction of these movement languages, guided by rhythm, the beat and sequence of the feet, and shifting states of focus and release in space. Personal myths are evoked as symbolic forces that generate both movement and an embodied imaginary. Inspired by conversations with my mother, TAMBOR maps an intimate and social archive, exploring territories beyond binary logics and the tensions between belonging and not belonging.
Melissa Pérez Sousa
Born and raised in Venezuela, Melissa Pérez Sousa studied Contemporary Dance Performance at UNEARTE (Caracas, Venezuela) and at Peridance Capezio Center (New York).
Her dance background is rooted in African diaspora dance forms, including Hip Hop, House, Body Percussion and Tap Dance.
As a performer, she has collaborated with Sandrine Lescourant, Dana Foglia, the Ladies of Hip Hop Festival, Alvin Ailey School, Jorge Gonçalves, Joclécio Azevedo, Catarina Campos, Marco da Silva Ferreira, Jonas & Lander, Bouziane Bouteldja, Jep Melendez and Lander Patrick.
She is the co-creator of BOWND (2019) and PLAYGROUND (2022), and the creator and performer of the solo TAMBOR, which will premiere at Porto City Theatre in 2026.
Melissa is the founder of LOOP Festival and co-founder and artistic curator of YOLK, an educational project dedicated to research, training and community development within Street Dance and Clubbing cultures.
Through these artistic practices, she has developed a strong interest in research, knowledge transmission, decolonisation and transformation, with a focus on intersectional issues such as gender identity, migration and community work.
Dance – 40 min
transmutation – trance – fragility – collective celebrations
Oct 2 and 3 / Sala Estúdio at Teatro Campo Alegre
Artistic Direction, Choreography and Performance: Melissa Pérez Sousa
Assistant Artistic Direction and Dramaturgy: Catarina Campos
External Eye: Roxanna Suarez, Marco da Silva Ferreira
Costume and Set Design: Indigo Lopes
Music and Live Sound Design: Dulce Moreira
Technical Direction: Catarina Côdea
Production House: COMMON GROUND
Support: CAMPUS Paulo Cunha e Silva, ICC Imaginarius Creation Centre, Graner Barcelona, CRL–Circolando, Sekoia Performing Arts, NUISISZOBOP Cultural Association, Espaço Agra
Mentorship: CAMPUS Paulo Cunha e Silva, Melissa Rodrigues, Cristina Planas Leitão
Acknowledgements: Katiuska Cantillo, Roxanna Suarez, Leo Soulflow, Claire Sivier, Patricia Soares, Joana Ferreira, Marco da Silva Ferreira, Melissa Rodrigues, Catarina Campos, Paz de Luz and Ricardo Pérez
Co-production: Instável – Centro Coreográfico and Teatro Municipal do Porto*
* As part of the Palcos Instáveis cycle