The body as dramaturgic, political and poetic material in the construction of contemporary symbologies in theater, in performance art and in dance is the theme of the discussion between Colombians Jorge Bernal and Walter Antonio Cobos, of the play Súper tejido limbo, Argentinean Edgardo Mercado, director of Topologías para cuerpos infinitamente inconquistables, and Brazilian directors Artur Ribeiro and André Curti, from Cia. Dos a Deux. Mediated by: André Guerreiro Lopes.

André Guerreiro Lopes is an actor and director. Among other pieces, he directed Tchekhov é um Cogumelo, which celebrates the 10 years of the company he artistically directs, Cia. Estúdio Lusco-Fusco, and was nominated for the APCA Awards for Best Show and the Shell Award for Best Score. He is also the mentor of the cinema project POLARIS, a partnership between Escola Livre de Cinema da Adaap and Uniarts, from Stockholm. He worked as assistant director of American director Bob Wilson in the stagings of A Dama do Mar (2013) and Garrincha, uma Ópera das Ruas (2016).

Artur Luanda Ribeiro and André Curti met during a festival in Paris, in 1997, and a year later, in 1998, their first work, Dos à Deux, was born. The play that lent its name to the company has been performed in almost all European countries, as well as Africa, South America, South Korea, and India. Their repertoire is composed by: Dos à Deux (1998), Aux pieds de la lettre (2002), Saudade em terras d’água (2006), Fragmentos do desejo (2009), Ausência (solo com Luís Melo, de 2012), Dos à Deux 2º ato (2015), Irmãos de sangue (2013) and Gritos (2016).

Edgardo Mercado is a director, choreographer and professor at UNA (Universidad Nacional de las Artes). He lives and works in Buenos Aires, investigating interrelations between body, time and space, in different platforms and presentation modes. His works have participated in international festivals such as the Dance Bienniale in Lyon, The American Dance Festival, Festival Panorama in Rio, Festival Lila Lopez in Mexico, and Fiba (International Theatre Festival in Buenos Aires).

Jorge Bernal is contemporary dancer and choreographer from Bogotá, Colombia. He is cofounder and artistic director of the company Maldita Danza, in which he has been investigating sound art, dance, visual arts and theater since 2011. His work has been developed through creative and educational projects, seeking to explore and express movement based on the scenic language. He has produced four pieces with Compañía Maldita Danza, with which he has obtained funds for the creation and circulation of his productions from the regional and national governments in Colombia.

Walter Antonio Cobos is a performing artist and cofounder of Compañía Maldita Danza as interpreter-creator and educational coordinator. He is a master candidate in Education (2019) and has a degree in Psychology and Education (2012) from Universidad Pedagógica Nacional. Among the productions he has developed, there are performances and plays that have actively participated in well-known national and international circuits. He has gone on four tours, sharing his educational and scenic proposals in places such as Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Croatia, Turkey and Spain.

(Photo: Topologías para cuerpos infinitamente inconquistables, by Edgardo Mercado. Credit: Corina Tate)