Thursday

In Thursday: Abracadabra, Cláudia Dias and Idoia Zabaleta find new uses for worn words. Starting from scratch, they come to an agreement with everyone in the room about the minimum meaning of each word. Peace, bread, work, education — what does it all mean, exactly? By demonstrating the real relationship between things and words and seeking out the hidden names of injustice, inequality and oppression, they look for the magic word that will move bodies, and worlds.

Thursday: Abracadabra is the fourth instalment in the Seven Years Seven Pieces series, a seven-part performance project addressing the concept of an absent or precarious future developed by Portuguese choreographer Cláudia Dias.

Read the first of two texts by external eye Jorge Louraço Figueira here.

Artistic director Cláudia Dias Guest artist Idoia Zabaleta Performers Cláudia Dias and Idoia Zabaleta Artistic Assistant Karas Set, Light Design and Technical Director Nuno Borda de Água Music "Fuego" by Bomba Estéreo, "Banho" by Elza Soares, "De dentro do Ap" by Bia Ferreira, "Canción Total" by Maria Arnal feat. Marcel Bagés Video Bruno Canas Photos Alípio Padilha Outside Eye Jorge Louraço Figueira Produced by Alkantara Coproduced by Teatro Municipal do Porto, Teatro Municipal São Luiz, Azala Artistic residencies Azala, L’animal a l’esquena, O Espaço do Tempo Thanks Mursego, María Arnal, Marcel Bagés, Hélder Azinheirinha Azala and Moare Danza are funded by Culture Department of the Basque Government

2019

(Preview) O Espaço do Tempo, Montemor-o-Novo
(World premiere) Festival Dantzaldia, La Fundición, Bilbao

2020

(Portuguese Premiere) São Luiz Teatro Municipal, Lisbon

2021

Teatro Jesús Ibáñez de Matauco, Vitoria-Gasteiz
Seven Years Seven Pieces cycle, São Luiz Teatro Municipal, Lisboa
DDD Festival, online

Cláudia Dias (Lisbon, 1972) trained in Dance at Academia Almadense, Companhia de Dança de Lisboa, and Forum Dança. She danced with Grupo de Dança de Almada and was part of the Ninho de Víboras collective. She was central to João Fiadeiro’s work as a creator and in the development, systemisation, and transmission of Real Time Composition. She regularly teaches workshops in Choreographic Composition and Real Time Composition. She created One Woman Show, Visita Guiada, Das coisas nascem coisas, Vontade De Ter Vontade, and Nem tudo o que dizemos tem de ser feito nem tudo o que fazemos tem de ser dito. She currently directs and develops the Seven Years Seven Pieces project.