The ballet ‘Os Maias’, intertwining the dramatic intensity of Eça de Queirós’ universe (1845-1900) with the expressiveness of choreographic creation, will have nine performances until October 26, according to information from the National Ballet Company (CNB).
The national company is also confirmed to participate in the Lódz Ballet Festival in Poland, where it will present this new ballet on World Dance Day, April 29, and April 30, at the Theatre Wielki w Lodzi, the company indicated.
Choreographed by CNB director Fernando Duarte, the piece features musical direction by Andrea Lupi, set design by José Manuel Castanheira, and costumes by José António Tenente, with a cast of over thirty dancers.
CNB will take the stage at Teatro Camões accompanied by pianist António Rosado and soloists from the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra.
“The idea is not to compete with the book, as the book will always win, but to encourage its (re)reading, whether for those who already know it or those who might become interested in doing so,” said Fernando Duarte in a statement from CNB about the new season’s launch.
Published in 1888, ‘Os Maias’ is one of the most renowned works by Eça de Queirós, recounting the tale of three generations of a family, focusing on the latest one, with a love story between Carlos and Maria Eduarda, two characters seemingly at the mercy of a destiny leading them to ruin.
The ballet “evokes, reinterprets, and brings to life singular characters and timeless issues, viewed through the keen irony of Queirós,” projecting dance as a language capable of “telling and moving, like few others, dialoguing between past and present,” noted the CNB text.
A year ago, upon assuming the director role of the company after being selected through a competition, Fernando Duarte revealed in an interview that adapting classics of Portuguese literature to dance was among the goals of his project for CNB.
In Companhia Dança em Diálogos, founded in 2018 with dancer Solange Melo, the choreographer adapted to dance ‘O Primo Basílio’ (1878) by Eça de Queirós and ‘O Memorial do Convento’ (1982) by José Saramago (1922-2010).
“There was immense audience engagement, and at almost every performance people recognized the story, feeling satisfied with the idea created in their imagination,” he recalled, noting that these adaptations “are not, nor do they aim to be, a transformation of the original book, but a reinterpretation.”
The musical direction of ‘Os Maias’ is handled by Andrea Lupi, who chose composers like Belgian César Franck, contemporary of Eça, and Austrian Maria Theresia Von Paradis, who lived at the turn of the 18th century, establishing a line through the action’s time.
Performing in the lead roles will be the dancers Francisco Morais, Mário Franco, Aeden Pittendreigh, and Christian Schwarm for Afonso da Maia; Francisco Gomes, Frederico Loureiro, Maria Monforte, Inês Ferrer, and Filipa de Castro for Pedro da Maia; Frederico Loureiro, Lourenço Ferreira, Diogo Bettencourt, and João Costa for Carlos da Maia; and Raquel Fidalgo and Patrícia Main for Maria Eduarda da Maia.
In addition to the planned artistic programming, CNB will present a parallel program through the Dance Proximity Program, with workshops and pre and post-show talks with artists, experts, and the audience.
On the weekends preceding the premiere, October 4, 5, 11, and 12, the company will promote dance workshops for children and families, conceived by dancer Sílvia Santos, in co-creation and co-guidance with dancer Filipa Pinhão.
The workshops draw from Queirós’ imagination, exploring various characters from ‘Os Maias’ and explaining the ballet to promote a love for dance.
During the workshops, there are planned performances by dancers Maria Girardin, Maria João Pinto, Francisco Couto, and João Pedro Freitas, along with a second part focusing on movement and dance exploration led by Sílvia Santos and Filipa Pinhão.
