Benvindo Fonseca
November 4, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
Biblioteca Camões • Lisbon
Benvindo Fonseca
Benvindo Fonseca, born in Mozambique in 1964, is a renowned dancer and choreographer. After studying at the National Conservatoire in Lisbon, he became a principal dancer with Ballet Gulbenkian. He studied at the National Conservatoire in Lisbon and at the Gulbenkian Foundation School, and continued his training in New York, London and Paris.
A soloist with Companhia de Dança de Lisboa and Ballet Gulbenkian, where he became a principal dancer, he worked with leading figures such as Mats Ek, Jiří Kylián, Hans Van Manen, Ohad Naharin, Itzik Galili, Vasco Wellenkamp, Olga Roriz, Paul Taylor, Christopher Bruce and Nacho Duato, among others. He co-founded Ballet Contemporâneo de Lisboa, serving as its Artistic Director and Choreographer.
As a choreographer, he has created works for Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, Teatro O Bando, Teatro Experimental do Porto, Ballet Gulbenkian, Companhia de Bailado Contemporâneo, the dance companies of Almada and Évora, the National Conservatoire, the Lisbon School of Dance, Academia de Bailado Clássico Pirmin Treku, Stadttheater Hildesheim (Germany), the Berlin State Opera and Compañía Úrsula López (Spain).
Highlights of his multifaceted career include the solo dance piece “A Dança Árabe”, set to Tchaikovsky and performed with Maria João Pires on piano; a pas de deux for “Povo que Lavas no Rio”, performed live in the presence of fado singer Amália Rodrigues; and the choreography for the ballet Dawn of an Announced End, accompanied by Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, performed live by the Musiktheater im Revier Symphony Orchestra in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
His choreographic works have been performed in Spain, Italy, Germany, the United States, Cuba, Brazil, Greece, Poland, Argentina, the Dominican Republic and Mexico.
A multiple award-winning artist, he has received the “Jovens na Criatividade” distinction, awarded by the United Nations, the Primo Canto – Cultural Association Career Award, the Júlio César Andrino Career Award, as well as awards from the Oeiras City Council and RDP África, among many others. He was honoured at the Gala de Estrellas in the Dominican Republic and, in 2017, participated as a guest teacher in the 2nd Dance N’Arts Winter Course.
In 2026, he took on the role of Artistic Director of the RAMPA project in Coimbra. He is currently developing choreographic work as part of the MODUS project in Braga.
Photography: ©Rui Ribeiro