O Cansaço dos Santos

Considered a defining work in Clara Andermatt’s artistic journey, O Cansaço dos Santos now returns to the stage in a new restaging, developed as a co-production between Lugar Presente and Companhia Clara Andermatt, while remaining faithful to the original creation.

Premiered in 1992 by Companhia de Dança de Almada and incorporated into the repertoire of Companhia Clara Andermatt that same year, O Cansaço dos Santos went on to undertake an extensive national and international tour, establishing itself as a landmark work in the history of contemporary dance in Portugal.

More than three decades later, its relevance remains fully current, as demonstrated by the successive restagings undertaken by professional companies and dance training institutions.

In O Cansaço dos Santos, Clara Andermatt deepens her exploration of the most primary and archetypal dimensions of human emotions. It is a work with a strong symbolic charge, in which ritualistic and religious icons are infused with intense physicality and an latent sexuality. The piece constructs a theatrical portrait of two characters in a constant state of searching—of themselves, of the other, and of answers that remain unresolved.

Clara Andermatt is joined by Amélia Bentes as rehearsal director, a particularly significant contribution given that she was one of the original performers of O Cansaço dos Santos, performing in a duo with Mónica Lapa between 1992 and 1996. Her presence brings a unique historical perspective to the process, as well as an essential interpretative memory for the rigorous and sensitive transmission of the work.

The cast brings together young performers whose energy, technical ability and interpretative skills meet the high choreographic intensity and physical demands that characterise the work, reaffirming its essence and contemporary relevance. This process fosters an encounter between different generations, valuing the transmission of knowledge, shared learning, and the transmission and preservation of Portugal’s choreographic heritage.