Tales of the Dramaturges

His research is oriented toward the imaginative possibilities of sound and word in relation to performance, theatre and radio; he studies the relationships between soundscapes, voice, text and sound archaeology, creating theatre and musical theatre performances, site-specific projects, and radio pieces.

Bonilla-Chongo also advocates for the choreographic thought and practice of many important artists in the new wave of contemporary Cuban dance, including Lorna Burdsall (Así somos), Marianela Boán (DanzAbierta), Isabel Bustos, (Retazos), Sandra Rami (Persona Colectivo) and Susana Pous (Micompañía).

As founder and co-ordinator of events like Bienal Internacional de Danza del Caribe, Taller Danza en construcción, and DANZAR.CU, his experience as a playwright crisscrosses between theory, research, and practice, with dialogues between the academic context and professional stage, training with young choreographers in Cuba, and working extensively with various Caribbean and Latin-American dance communities.  

Noel Bonilla-Chongo is a researcher and professor at Universidad de las Artes de Cuba, where he is head of both the contemporary dance department, and the graduate program in dance theory. Bonilla-Chongo has published numerous articles in journals in both Cuba and abroad.  

Bonilla-Chongo is also an active member of the CID UNESCO—International Dance Council, and the Plataforma Iberoamericana de Danza. Caribbean consultant at the Institut français, he has also received many awards and distinctions throughout his career, including a prize for his doctoral work, the Distinción por la Cultura Nacional, and the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres de France.

She has pursued her theoretical work within the areas of aesthetics and poetics, the philosophy of art, the relationship between philosophy and literature, and Caribbean philosophy, especially the poetics of Roberto Burgos Cantor.

All her activities are framed by the issue of the conditions of possibility for living, creating, and thinking together while highlighting the importance of uniqueness within the context of the everyday. This has led to her developing a keen awareness of her environment and the people around her, enabling her to build strong teams dedicated to shared initiatives at each of her workplaces, to promote the collective production of thought/creation, and to encourage the appearance of diverse writings and readings of reality, flourishing in a spirit of freedom.

In recent years, she has been a professor in the faculty of philosophy at the Pontifical Xavierian University, in the department of creative writing at the Central University, and in the master of theatre and performing arts program at the National University of Colombia in Bogota, Barranquilla, and Cali. She has also served as a consultant on cultural and publishing projects.

She holds a Doctorate in Education, in 2016 she published her thesis Teaching knowledge for dance teaching: Relation between knowledge and initial training of graduates in Dance and Physical Education who work in public schools in Rio de Janeiro and the metropolitan region. She also holds a Master in Theater (2005) from Rio University (UNIRIO), a licence in dance from Paris 8 University (France / 1996) and a Master in Art / visual communication from Rio Catholic University – PUC.

She has authored “Cidadãos dançantes: a experiência de Ivaldo Bertazzo com o corpo de dança da Maré” (2007) (Dancing citizens: the experience of Ivaldo Bertazzo with the dance corps of Maré) publish at UnniverCidade publishing. She has also published a DVD, “Corpo aceso: experiências em educação somática para bailarinos e não bailarinos” (2010). (Excited body: experiences in somatic education for dancers and non-dancers)

Since 2011, Silvia Soter has been the educational director of the Redes da Maré. Since 2002, Silvia acts as the dramaturg for Lia Rodrigues Companhia de Danças, and she has collaborated with artists Dani Lima, Jérôme Bel, and Marcelo Evelin.