Palcos Instáveis

“If butoh means experiencing gravity, if butoh means losing something every second, if butoh means losing everything what we seemingly possess, if butoh means dying from one breath to another, if butoh means relying on something that is just sinking into unfathomed depths, if butoh means experiencing every moment of this fall as eternity, then yes, I admit that my way of improvising is very close to butoh. I am sorry to say so, but for me improvisation is no fun. Nevertheless, this serious matter makes me happy, happy to be living.” — Lê Quan Ninh


Paulo Mota was born in 1991 in Santa Cruz do Bispo, Matosinhos. He completed the acting course at ACE – School of Arts in 2010 and has since worked with choreographers Joana Providência, António Júlio, Madalena Victorino, André Braga and Cláudia Figueiredo (Circolando), Victor Hugo Pontes, Ana Luena, Rogério de Carvalho, Gonçalo Amorim and João Garcia Miguel, among others. He also performed in live music presentations with Dead Combo, Carlos Bica, João Paulo Esteves da Silva, Peixe, André Pires, Joana Gama and Pedro Augusto. He performed in Portugal, Spain, Macao, Brazil, Bolivia, Panama and Argentina. He founded Devagar in February of 2021, in the scope of which he has already signed a film (Um jogo bastante perigoso [A Rather Dangerous Game]), a performance (Polis) and a theatre play (Buffalo Bill). He currently teaches acting at ACE, in Porto.


Since the Palcos Instáveis series started in 2012, it has encouraged the work of upcoming creators from Porto and the Northern region of the country. Curated by Instável — Choreographic Centre and co produced by Teatro Municipal do Porto, Palcos Instáveis facilitates artistic residencies to create, produce, announce and present new works, thus enabling the intersection of artistic experiences and providing the city with the opportunity to get in touch with upcoming choreographic languages.