Julidans: RI TE Israel Galván (ES) & Marlene Monteiro Freitas (CV)

An encounter that refuses to come together, and therefore continues to spark

RI TE brings two exceptional artists together on stage: choreographer and performer Marlene Monteiro Freitas, known for her radical, theatrical body language, and flamenco dancer Israel Galván, who breaks open the tradition from within. Both work intensely with rhythm, silence, and physical tension, yet they draw from different disciplines and histories. It is precisely this friction between contemporary performance and flamenco that forms the driving force behind their encounter.

That encounter takes shape in a minimalist, unforgiving setting: a wooden floor, a wall, two chairs, and a flickering neon light. There is no shelter anywhere; the rest of the stage remains in darkness. Visibility is a choice here. Whoever wishes to meet the other must step towards the light.

What follows is not a classical duet, but a playful conversation in body language. RI TE revolves around an encounter without pre-established agreements. There is no attempt at fusion or reconciliation. Flamenco remains flamenco, performance remains performance.

Yet mirrorings emerge. In timing, posture, and detail, the performers recognize each other, like twins who see a resemblance but consciously keep their distance. The choreography plays with attraction and repulsion, revealing and withdrawing. Movements begin and stop abruptly, gestures are initiated and then broken off. This results in an almost burlesque game in which humor and tension go hand in hand.

Flamenco appears in fragments: a posture, a glance, an exclamation that lingers. A recurring moment forms the heart of the performance: olé becomes physical release, after which the gesture immediately evokes its opposite. Attraction turns into resistance, not psychological, but physical.

RI TE is therefore not a demonstration of mastery, but a disruption of it: a unique encounter in which two strong artistic identities keep each other sharp, vulnerable, and unpredictable.