Ricardo de Paula

Biography

Ricardo de Paula began his dance career in 1987 learning jazz and classical ballet at Harmonia Studio de Danças, Belo Horizonte (Brazil). As a professional dancer, he has been working since 1989 in companies such as Grupo Corpo with Rodrigo Pederneiras (Brazil), Zikzira Physical Theater (Brazil) and at the Staatstheater Kassel (Germany). Since living in Berlin, he has also collaborated with the choreographers Sasha Waltz, Christoph Winkler, Constanza Macras, Sommer Ulrickson, Ahn Eun Me and Felix Ruckert.

Since 2005, de Paula has been developing solo pieces such as “Shoot First” (Ballhaus Naunynstraße, 2013) and “Out of Many, One” for the “Manifestos for Queer Futures” (HAU, 2019), and since 2006 his own productions with the ensemble he founded, Grupo Oito. Among his most notable ensemble works are “Dance for sale” (2010, expanded 2015, Nairobi, Kenya); “Sight” (Ballhaus Naunynstraße, 2012), “Part of You” (Ballhaus Naunystraße, 2015) and “Unrestricted Contact” (Ballhaus Naunynstraße, 2017). The productions have gone on to your several times, including Turkey, France and Nairobi.
One of the characteristic elements of his work is the “Get Physical Process” he has developed. He teaches this form of bodywork and perception in courses and training for professional dancers in the Mime Centrum at Berlin‘s Kunstquartier Bethanien. In 2012 he received the Dance Scholarship of the Berlin Senate Chancellery – Cultural Affairs.