META LEĀO

About the show

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 tap out or lose consciousness. Literally translated, “Mata Leão” means “kill the lion” or “killing lions.” 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. These images speak of a physical strength that transforms a person into a lion as he subdues the animal. In Mata Leão, Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira expand upon the self-defense choreographies they have been developing as a duo since 2018. Together with six performers, they form a collective that allows for – and demands – room for deviation. 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 poetic 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.