Mata Leão

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  Foto: Gil Corujeira – Person mit rotem Haar, oberkörperfrei, in glänzender, voluminöser Hose läuft auf Laufsteg. Weitere Personen im Hintergrund.

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  Foto: Gil Corujeira – Tanzende Personen mit orangen Haaren, eine Person ist oben ohne. Zuschauer*innen im Hintergrund, einige sitzend.

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  Foto: Gil Corujeira – Person mit lockigem Haar auf Laufsteg, trägt ärmelloses Oberteil und Rüschenrock. Hintergrund unscharf, Publikum sitzt hinter dem Laufsteg.

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  Foto: Gil Corujeira – Tänzer lehnt sich nach vorne, mit Kopfhörer-ähnlichem Gerät am Gesicht, vor orangefarbenem, nebligem Hintergrund.

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  Foto: Gil Corujeira – Zehn Personen auf einer dunklen Bühne, einige mit freiem Oberkörper, andere in engen Oberteilen. Ernsthafte Gesichtsausdrücke, dunkler Hintergrund.

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  Foto: Gil Corujeira – Person in blau-schwarzer Kleidung steht in hellem Lichtstrahl, drei weitere Personen im Hintergrund verteilt auf dunklem, nebulösem Boden.

How can dance be developed into a practice of self-defense? Is it possible to make violence visible without re-enacting the dynamics of violence? How does each body develop its own capacity for self-defense? With their Repertório trilogy, the Rio de Janeiro-based choreographers Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira delivered a response to the rise of the far right in the country. At the end of October 2026, shortly after the next presidential election in Brazil, Pontes and Ferreira will premiere at the Volksbühne with a new production, for the first time outside Brazil.In the martial art of jiu-jitsu, ‘Mata Leão’ refers to a chokehold that forces the opponent to submit or lose consciousness. Literally translated, ‘Mata Leão’ means ‘lion killer’ or ‘to kill the lion’. The title evokes images from cultural history, such as Rubens’ painting Hercules and the Nemean Lion or the biblical story of David strangling a lion with his bare hands. They tell of a physical strength that allows humans to turn into lions themselves in the act of defeating the animal. With Mata Leão, Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira expand the self-defense choreographies they have been developing as a duo since 2018. Teaming up with six performers, they form a collective of artists that both allows for and actively encourages creative divergence and deviation, creating a poetic space to explore the complex relationship between body and imagination.Elements of funk and ballroom emerge, only to be disrupted and reconfigured. Powerful movements are punctuated by moments of divergence, pauses, and playful gestures. Humour and irreverence serve as strategies for drawing the audience into a space of shared responsibility. Mata Leão is an exploration of racist violence that goes beyond fear or melancholy. The play creates a poethical space in which the relationship between the body and the imagination is explored. In Celeste Burlina’s scenography, the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz transforms into the site of a choreographic experiment.Interview with Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira

Artists/Collaborators: Sebastião Abreu (mit), Koko Yeji Boanyah (mit), Wallace Ferreira (mit), Gavin Law (mit), Mai-Júli Machado Nhapulo (mit), Davi Pontes (mit), Rayne (mit), Galina Rodríguez (mit), Wallace Ferreira (Konzept, Choreografie), Davi Pontes (Konzept, Choreografie), Celeste Burlina (Bühne), Podeserdesligado (Sound), Wallace Ferreira (Kostüm), Davi Pontes (Kostüm), Djuna Reiner (Kostüm), Shaly López (Licht), Vânia Doutel Vaz (Choreografieassistenz), Tarun Kade (Dramaturgie), Marlene Monteiro Freitas (Outside Eye), Something Great (Associate Production, Internationale Distribution), Rodrigo Zorzanelli (Regieassistenz), Anna Klaine (Bühnenbildassistenz), João Victor Toledo (Probenübersetzung), Felipe Faria (Movement Practice), Denise Ferreira da Silva (Poethical Reading), Marco Ober (Inspizienz), Carolina Brinkmann (Künstlerische Produktionsleitung), Zoe Jiménez (Regiehospitanz), Zeynep Ada Kienast (Regiehospitanz), Celina Cruz Huayhua (Bühnenbildhospitanz), Anita Naka (Kostümhospitanz), Elise Urban (Kostümhospitanz)

Next date:

• Date Friday, 20/November/2026 21:00 ( 3 more dates )
• Venue Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz - Großes Haus
• Address Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, 10178 Berlin-Mitte