It is curious that, of all the dance competitions that Sofia has participated in, one of the ones she remembers with the greatest enthusiasm is Dançarte, held in April 2022, at Teatro das Figuras, in Faro, when she was still a student at LP Studio: “ I didn’t win absolutely anything, but the competition was really good. I remember, for example, watching the girl before me perform and being amazed by her solo; I remember thinking how grateful she was just to be able to be in that place.” The girl Sofia was referring to was Rita Salazar, a dancer from Companhia de Dança do Algarve, who would go on to win 2nd place in the soloist category, in her category, and who, a few months later, would become friends with Sofia, as part of a very special project. In the summer of 2022, twelve young dancers – including Sofia and Rita – from dance schools across the country were selected to participate in “Território”, a project by Estúdios Victor Córdon that provided them with a professional experience with choreographers from the international circuit. In what was the 5th edition of the project, the dancers had a month to develop two pieces – a piece from the repertoire of Marcos Morau, a reference choreographer and founder of the company La Veronal, in Barcelona (the piece was rehearsed by Jon López, assistant to the Catalan), and a piece created by Canadian Dorotea Saykaly. After two performances at the Teatro Nacional São João, in Porto, and another two at the Millennium Festival ao Largo, in front of the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, in Lisbon, the show also took to the stage at the Teatro José Lúcio da Silva, in Leiria. “It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life”, recalls the dancer from Gafanha da Nazaré.
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Sofia Santos does not hide her desire to build an international career, first as a dancer and later as a choreographer. The young woman follows the work of several professional dancers and choreographers, with the virtuoso “Dom Quixote” being one of her favorite ballets, at NDT – Nederlands Dans Theater – a reference academy and in Marcelino Sambé an example of effort and overcoming – at 30 years, the young Portuguese and former EDCN student has been a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet, in London – but also modest and generous.
The possibility of working on physical expression in an artistic way and seeing the body as a tool for telling stories and transmitting feelings is what most captivates Sofia Santos in dance. Perhaps, for this reason, she has contemporary dance as her “area of specialty”. “I’m a fan of contemporary. In contrast to the Classic, which requires more calm, focus and the ability to self-center, the Contemporary brings me freedom, fun and adrenaline”.
Despite being physically exhausting, self-improvement when achieving a step or movement is a source of unique energy. “I can start a class even though I’m tired, without wanting to be there, and when I finish, if the class has gone well, I feel like my batteries have been renewed”, describes Sofia. Basically, “dance is not a sport, but a dancer has to be an athlete”, she compares, highlighting the obligations to which both are subject. One thing is certain: “being on stage is a reward worth all the effort”.
Now, if, physically, dancing can leave a dancer devastated, what can we say about the exhausting effect it generates on the mind? First of all, we must understand that “dance is very conditioned by aesthetics, the body and our physical conditions and, sometimes, it is difficult to accept that we have to work with the conditions we have. There are things we cannot change, so the art is learning to work with what we have, but that can be hard”, introduces Sofia. “Any emotionally more fragile person can easily break down”, assures the dancer, proposing the following analogy: “In the same way that musicians have their instruments and visual artists have their paints, the object of creation of choreographers is the dancers.” The difference is that, unlike musical instruments or brushes and pigments, dancers are human beings and “there are things that dancers hear that no one should have to hear”.
Questions arise: “How far can a choreographer go in terms of the demands he makes on a dancer?”; “How far should a dancer give in?” These and other questions certainly occupy the range of concerns of many choreographers and dancers around the world, but their complexity makes them difficult to answer. “It’s difficult to set limits. As human beings, dancers should not be exposed to certain types of comments and demands. On the other hand, it is legitimate for choreographers to look for professionals who best execute their aesthetic and artistic vision”. Essentially, the young woman concludes, the most important thing is that “every dancer has her place”. “Everyone who has talent, who dedicates themselves, works and strives to be better, should have a place in a company or in a project, as dancers, choreographers or teachers”. “There will always be a choreographer who will like elongated legs more, another who will particularly value a thin waist and still another for whom wide hips are a fundamental characteristic. But there are also those who can overcome the physical characteristics of a dancer due to their technical qualities”, believes the dancer.
