Advanced Programme in Performing Arts Creation

04 Feb - 26 Jul 2025

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The Advanced Programme in Performing Arts Creation (PACAP), now in its eighth edition, is produced by Forum Dança – a non-profit cultural association created in 1990, whose mission is to promote contemporary dance through professional and artistic training, research, publishing and documentation.

This year, KEF joins institutions such as Culturgest, Teatro do Bairro Alto, Anda & Fala Walk and Talk, and Espaço do Tempo (co-producers), among others, to support the initiative, which is curated by Meg Stuart. The choreographer and dancer proposed the first edition of the Mystery School of Choreography in Portugal, in collaboration with Ana Rocha and other guest artists.

Mystery School of Choreography (MYS) is a programme of experimental studies for performing artists. It is an interdisciplinary place where the metaphysical intertwines with composition, choreography and artistic creation. It is a step towards a deeper understanding of learning, practice and the activation of knowledge that is often present in the performing arts but not directly addressed.

With her company Damaged Goods, Stuart has created more than 30 productions, from solos to large-scale choreographies, site-specific creations and improvisation projects. Meg Stuart's work moves freely between the genres of dance, theatre and visual arts, driven by an ongoing dialogue with artists from different disciplines. Increasingly, her interest in strategies of transcendence, vocal techniques and healing practices is manifested in her creations. Her work has been recognised with several awards, including the Bessie Award (2008, New York, USA), the Grand Prix de la Danse de Montréal (2014, Canada), the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement (2018, Venice, Italy) and a Guggenheim Fellowship (2023, New York, USA), among others. Stuart lives and works in Berlin and Brussels.

KEF's support falls within its Atelier programme for international collaboration, which provides conditions for creation, research and exchange for artists on professional visits to Portugal at the initiative of partner cultural institutions. The partnership agreement also includes a presentation by Stuart at KEF, to be announced shortly.