Brandhaarden 2025: Marlene Monteiro Freitas
Brandhaarden 2025 revolves around the work of Marlene Monteiro Freitas (1979), the figurehead of the new Portuguese dance. This edition of the festival gives an in-depth look at the artist's work, with three performances and an installation. The audience will have the unique opportunity to experience her oeuvre in all its facets. The programme makes a special connection between her exploration of themes such as openness, intensity and the confrontation between the rational and irrational, and fits seamlessly with ITA's dance programming and the wider
Marlene Monteiro Freitas
Marlene Monteiro Freitas (1979) is the figurehead of the new Portuguese dance scene. She is known for her abundant and expressionistic pieces, inspired by the carnival of her Cape Verdean youth, which combine grotesque figures with a powerful visual language that flirts with the extravagant worlds of fashion and pop culture. Freitas' work, situated at the intersection of dance and theater, is both visually captivating and thematically profound, addressing social issues and offering timely political commentary. Her performances are characterized by a unique blend of slapstick and serious undertones, with music playing a prominent role. -|- Born in Cape Verde, she was a co-founder of the dance group Compass and studied at P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels, the Escola Superior de Dança, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. As a co-founder of P.OR.K., a production organization based in Lisbon, she has revitalized theatricality in dance. In recent years, she has transitioned to larger venues, where she often appears on stage as part of her performances, which always begin with an image that she envisions in her mind.
Freitas collaborates with a diverse group of creators from around the world, giving her work a dynamic and innovative quality that challenges and inspires audiences.
Brandstapelkorting
See more = pay less!
We can imagine that you would like to see several performances in Brandhaarden. That's why we have a special discount, the Brandstapelkorting. This is how it works: if you buy a ticket for two different performances, together, those tickets cost € 60. If you buy tickets for three different performances, those tickets cost € 75 in total. This discount works up to a maximum of three different performances and regardless of the original price of those performances.
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For example
You'd like to visit Bacchae - Prelude to a Purge, Mal - Emrbiaguez Divina en Guintche. For three first-row tickets you would not be paying € 112.50, but only € 75.
1 & 2 February
Bacchae – Prelude to a Purge
In Bacchae - Prelude to a Purge, Marlene Monteiro Freitas brings a disturbing and fascinating experience at the intersection of music, dance and theatre. This absurd carnival, full of life and seasoned with the sounds of Brazilian funk and Ravel's Boléro, explores the depths of the human psyche and the complexity of desires and contradictions.
5 & 6 February
MAL – EMBRIAGUEZ DIVINA
In MAL - EMBRIAGUEZ DIVINA, choreographer Marlene Monteiro Freitas explores the different faces of evil. In a theatrical setting, a group of dancers transforms into a chorus that reveals the consequences of bureaucracy and the ambiguity of evil. With a unique blend of movement, sound and visual elements, Freitas creates an intense experience that challenges you to reflect on the duality of evil.
14 & 15 February
Guintche
Guintche, a dynamic solo that explores the boundaries of identity and self-expression. This performance is inspired by the Cape Verdean word ‘guintche,’ which can denote both a bird and a prostitute and can also refer to an incoherent approach to life. Freitas embodies a range of characters, including a boxer, a clown and an acrobat, and brings them to life in vivid snapshots.
11 - 14 February
CATTIVO
CATTIVO, een installatie bestaande uit honderden muziekstandaards, brengt een gemeenschap van een hoogst muzikale soort naar het podium. Door middel van een podiumsetting die lijkt op een intens geluidslandschap, worden de objecten subjecten. Dit biedt Marlene Monteiro Freitas de kans om haar ongebonden muzikaliteit te bevestigen.
Fringe programme
(b)randprogramma
Inspired by the work of Marlene Monteiro Freitas, the fringe programme of Brandhaarden 2025 promises to offer an inspiring and thought-provoking experience. This programme invites the audience to participate in various activities and events that further explore Freitas' themes and visions. With a focus on interaction and reflection, the fringe programme will create a space for depth and discussion, encouraging visitors to share their own perspectives and ideas. We look forward to discovering new insights and making connections together with the audience.
13th edition
Brandhaarden Festival
Brandhaarden is an international theatre festival that brings performances from notable foreign theatre makers to Amsterdam. The festival provides a unique overview of a single creator, house, writer, region, or theme. In previous editions, we highlighted directors such as Katie Mitchell, Milo Rau, and the collective Rimini Protokoll, writer Édouard Louis, the Southern European region (Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece), and city theatres such as Münchner Kammerspiele, Volksbühne Berlin, and Peter Brooks Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord.