Two young dancers stand completely naked on stage. They begin stamping their feet in dynamic rhythmic patterns that continually transform and become more complex, the physical intensity reverberating through the space. Sweat sprays from their bodies, the urgent sound of heavy breathing is heard. Suddenly the mood changes and the two dancers become calm, adopting lascivious poses. They gaze provocatively at the surrounding audience, inviting each person to fixate on their naked bodies.

In their Repertório trilogy, the dynamic Brazilian duo Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira explore dance as a means of resistance against the structural and political violence faced by Black and queer people in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. In three critically reflective, minimalist works, they present dance as a self-defense practice, allowing them to free themselves from societal categorization and stigmatization. Pontes and Ferreira stamp to survive; they stamp to reject the social stigmas imposed on their bodies.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Davi Pontes works between visual arts, choreography, and research. His practice focuses on analyzing and critiquing systemic and global structures of violence. Wallace Ferreira—also from Rio de Janeiro—develops strategies and choreographic actions as a visual artist and performer to free himself from structures of representation. In 2021, Pontes and Ferreira co-directed the film Delirar o Racial. With the Repertório trilogy, they achieved international recognition as a duo. In 2022, Repertório N.2 won the Young Choreographers’ Award at Impulstanz in Vienna.