Rui Horta

23 June 2022, at 18h30
Palácio Galveias Library – Lisbon
Approximate duration: 2 hours

Free entry, subject to registration.

Born in Lisbon, Rui Horta began dancing at the age of 17 at the Ballet Gulbenkian’s ballet courses, and later lived for several years in New York, where he completed his training and developed his career as a performer and teacher. In ‘84 he returned to Lisbon and was one of the most important driving forces behind a new generation of Portuguese dancers and choreographers.

During the 1990s he lived in Germany where he directed the SOAP Dance Theatre Frankfurt, where his work was considered a reference in European dance and was presented at the most important theatres and festivals around the world, particularly at the Thêatre de la Vile, which co-produced his work for a decade.

In 2000 he returned to Portugal and founded Espaço do Tempo in Montemor-o-Novo, a multidisciplinary centre for residencies and artistic experimentation.

In addition to his intense work as an independent creator, Rui Horta has created, as a guest artist, a vast repertoire for renowned companies such as the Cullberg Ballet, the Gulbenkian Ballet, the Grand Ballet de l’Opera de Genéve, the Marseille Opera Ballet, the Netherlands Dance Theatre, the Gothenburg Opera Dance Company, Icelandic Ballet, Scottish Dance Theatre, Random Dance, Carte Blanche, Ballet am Gartner Platz, Ballet de Roubaix, Linz Opera Ballet, Nuremberg Opera Ballet, Tanzmainz, etc.

Throughout his career he has received important prizes and honours such as the Grand Prix de Bagnolet, the Bonnie Bird Award, the Deutsche Produzent Preis, the Acarte Prize, the Almada Prize, the rank of Officer of the Order of the Infante, the rank of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

His choreographic work has been classified as a Heritage of German Dance. In the performing arts, his work as a director extends to theatre, opera, the new circus and experimental music. He is also a lighting designer and multimedia researcher, a universe he often uses in his work.