Dance as Self-Defense

Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira Present Their First Dance Performance of the New Season at the Volksbühne

With Mata Leão, the Volksbühne—under the new artistic direc-tion of Matthias Lilienthal—will also kick off its season with a dance performance in late October. As part of the Repertório trilogy, this new work by choreographers Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira serves as a response to the rise of right-wing politics and state violence in Brazil. The choreography of Mata Leão becomes a form of self-defense against racist violence and white supremacy. Elements of funk and ballroom inter-act with Celeste Burlina’s set design, transforming the Volks-bühne into a space for collective choreographic intervention. Accompanying the production, the School of Self-Defense series—held in venues including the newly opened Prater—invites participants to experiment with strategies of physical self-assertion and resistance, in Practice and Theory. (lmk)

 

Mata Leão 

Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira 

from October 29, 2026 

Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz

www.volksbuehne-berlin.de