The stage as a free space for marginalized characters

For Brazilian trans artist Fernanda Silva, the stage is a place where she can live her identity freely. In her homage «Ein Tanz für Valeska Gert», she follows in the footsteps of the controversial grotesque dancer, cabaret artist and dance avant-gardist of the golden 1920s. Silva’s solo work is a very personal encounter with Gert. Reality and fiction, memories of her own origins and biography intersect with the life and work of an icon who not only inspired the expressionists and the punk scene, but also became a symbol of female resistance. A surreal kaleidoscope of two very different and yet similar women and artists.

Fernanda Silva (she/her) is a Brazilian actress, dancer and choreographer. She directs the Grupo de Teatro Metáfora, which is based in Parnaíba in the state of Piauí. Founded 30 years ago, the today´s Espaço Cultural Metáfora has established itself as a place of active political resistance since 2005. Silva has been performing on stage since the age of fifteen. Her own works include: «Trovoada» (Thunderstorm), «The Lady Macbeth» and «Antônia uma luz que chora» (Antônia – The Crying Light), as well as «Impossivel estuprar esta Mulher cheia de vícios» (It is impossible to rape this woman full of vices) and «Involuntários da Pátria» (Involuntaries of the Fatherland) together with researcher and curator Sonia Sobral. Silva also recently took part in the dance piece «Uirapuru» by Brazilian choreographer Marcelo Evelin. She began researching her solo «A Dance for Valeska Gert» in Brazil in 2021. She will expand on this during her residency at Tanzfabrik Berlin in 2024.

[Source: tanzfabrik-berlin.de]

TFB Nr. 1898