My Life in Culture: Dancer, documentarian, writer and teacher Inês Bogéa
A dancer, documentarian, writer and teacher, Inês Bogéa currently serves as the Artistic and Educational Director of the São Paulo Dance Company and the São Paulo Dance School. Soon to make their Irish debut, the show fuses the elegance of classical ballet with the sensuality of Latin American dance for a performance that will have you itching to stand up and join in.
The last thing I saw and loved… Il Sol Dell’Avvenire, a new film by Nanni Moretti. It’s a fun movie with great actors.
The book I keep coming back to… The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. If you haven’t read it, it’s about how to accept your own vulnerability and dare to be who you are.
I find inspiration in… people and the dance of life.
My favourite film is… Singin’ in the Rain directed by Stanley Donen and starring Gene Kelly. The scene with Gene Kelly dancing in the street with his umbrella is unforgettable.
My career highlight is… there are so many; my first dance show, the joy of working with dance communities, writing about dance, my first film, being the director of a dance company and a dance school.
The song I listen to get in the zone is… “A Dona do Raio e do Vento” by Maria Bethânia. It’s about Iansã – also known as Oiá or Oyá – a goddess from Afro-Brazilian religions and the Yoruba mythology associated with wind and water. She is one of the main female Orishas (divine spirits).
The last book I recommended is… Danse la vie, danse la ville – Stories of Guy Darmet by Marie-Christine Vernay. It’s a history of dance in Lyon, told through the eyes of Guy Darmet, this great cultural manager who was the director of the Maison de la Danse for 30 years and started the Biennale Internationale de Danse in Lyon.
I never leave the house without… the joy of living another day.
I still think about… Swan Lake by Alexander Ekman for the Norwegian National Ballet – a creative, unusual, and challenging work.
My dream collaboration would be… with choreographer Saburo Teshigawara for whom dance derives from the present towards a future that has not yet arrived.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten… live each day intensely and sweetly.
The art that means the most to me is… Lingua Brasileira, a show by Tom Zé that revisits his 50-year-long career. I love it for its inventiveness, Tom’s joy for being on stage, and the irreverence and energy with which he places himself there.
My favourite moment in this show is… when the curtain goes up. We can feel the energy of the audience present in the room and the silence that connects us all as a ritual of encounter and possibility of dialogue.
The most challenging thing about being on stage is… being able to express oneself and fully live every moment.
After a show, I… love to be with friends to celebrate the unique moment we experienced.
If I wasn’t a dancer, I would be… a film director. The ability to create worlds with images and the emotions they can convey excites me.
The magic of dance to me is… the encounter with myself and with others through a profound connection with our humanity.
Our first UK and Irish tour is exciting because… we will meet new people, showcase our art, and see many incredible places – some of them which I have visited as a dancer and others I will discover now.
The São Paulo Dance Company will make their UK and Ireland debut at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on 5/6 February. Tickets start from €26.50 and you can get yours here.
Photography by Wilian Aguiar.
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