SENSORIANAS emerged from an invitation by Estúdios Victor Córdon to Clara Andermatt to create and provide the artistic direction for a performance inspired by Persian culture, through a process of research, historical and artistic investigation, and mapping the situation of the Iranian community in Portugal.

The performance is part of OUTROS MUNDOS, a programme created by Estúdios Victor Córdon. OUTROS MUNDOS is a new programme dedicated to migrant communities living in Portugal, which seeks to create opportunities for sharing and public interaction through the study of their cultures.

The programme focuses on a different country in each edition, aiming to highlight its culture through the perspective of a dance artist. For the first edition, Iran was selected, and choreographer Clara Andermatt was invited to create the work.

I was invited by Estúdios Victor Córdon to explore Iran and its culture through the creation of a piece to be presented as part of the Outros Mundos programme.

I embraced this invitation as a challenge to engage with Persian culture, allowing myself to explore and celebrate its richness.

I wanted to bring together enchantment and contemplation through an artistic experience rooted in the contributions of the Iranian diaspora living in Portugal. We explored the thematic direction of the piece by bringing together individual perspectives, each offering references, suggestions and avenues for further research.

We explored different styles of traditional Iranian dance, reinterpreted by me and the collaborators involved in this creation through the lens of contemporary dance. The focus is on the female universe, with Iranian poetry and music, among other elements, serving as sources of inspiration and as unifying threads.

I do not seek to encompass the vastness of Persian culture, nor do I claim to represent it — an impossible and undesirable task for anyone approaching such a broad and complex reality for the first time.

Instead, I offer a subjective perspective, animated by the desire to foster encounters and build cultural bridges.

A curious and engaged gaze towards a reality very different from our own. A space for dialogue and reflection on aspects of everyday life, freedom and cultural diversity — values we must defend and celebrate in today's global context.

— CLARA ANDERMATT

Artistic Direction CLARA ANDERMATT | Performance and Creative Collaboration BEATRIZ MIRA (replacing HELIA BANDEH), BEATRIZ VALENTIM, LEONOR ALECRIM, MARIA FONSECA, RITA CARPINTEIRO | Artistic Consultancy HELIA BANDEH | Musical Direction JOÃO LUCAS AND CLARA ANDERMATT | Artistic Assistance and Research MARGARIDA BAK GORDON | Creative Support AMÉLIA BENTES, FÉLIX LOZANO | Dramaturgical Support JOÃO LUCAS | Lighting Design WILMA MOUTINHO | Set Design ERIC DA COSTA | Costumes JOSÉ ANTÓNIO TENENTE | Costume Assistant RITA MONIZ PEREIRA | Mirrors GOLSHAN CHAHIAN | Sound Design and Operation RICARDO FIGUEIREDO | Lighting Operation CARLOS VIEIRA | Set Construction ERIC DA COSTA, JOSÉ PEDRO SOUSA, PAULA HESPANHA | Set Installation JOSÉ PEDRO SOUSA | Executive Production ACCCA – MIGUEL PEREIRA, RUANA CAROLINA | Media Partners ANTENA 2, COFFEEPASTE | OUTROS MUNDOS A programme by ESTÚDIOS VICTOR CÓRDON | Co-production OPART / ESTÚDIOS VICTOR CÓRDON, A OFICINA / CCVF | Residency Support OPART / ESTÚDIOS VICTOR CÓRDON | Supported by PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC – CULTURE / DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR THE ARTS, LISBON CITY COUNCIL, INTERPRESS – HUB CRIATIVO DO BAIRRO ALTO | Partnership PLANO NACIONAL DAS ARTES – IR À ESCOLA INITIATIVE | Acknowledgements JOÃO BICHÃO, JOÃO HENRIQUES (Observatório do Mundo Islâmico), MARTINHO VILLANI, RITA FONTES, SEPIDEH RADFAR, TEATRO DO BAIRRO | Special thanks to all the Iranian people and people of Iranian origin who shared their personal stories, culture and country with us: AIDA SIGHARIAN, GOLSHAN CHAHIAN, HODA MADAD, ISMAIL BOALI, MARYAM SHAMS, MEHRNOOSH AFSHARI, NAHID SANGANIAN, NIKDEL FARHAD, OMID BAHRAMI, RAHMAN HAGHIGHI, REBECCA MORADALIZADEH, ROHAM TORABI, ROUZBEH AKHBARI, SEPIDEH RADFAR, SINA SHIRAZI, SOMAYEH GHOLAMI, VAHID RASOULI | Duration Approximately 70 minutes | Age Recommendation 12+