StandStill is based on the psychological and metaphysical questions of the self - which can be interpreted as the compromise between one's true identity and the ego.
Inspired by Freud's analogy of the iceberg (the various levels of the mind) as well as the old Chinese idea that pictures the ego like fire ("that keeps you warm and lights your way as long as the flame is under control, but once out of control, it only burns into destruction"), the choreographic work develops through alternating sections where sometimes the self is in control and other times the ego takes the leadership.
Can one find balance within oneself and eventually be freed from an eager, insatiable self-indulgent ego? Is the ego part of our identities, or a 'conscious thinking subject' implemented by social ideas? Can we get completely detached from the ego or ever have absolute control over it? How much of what we do is really what we want to do?
The duet aims to explore the ego's voice in our heads, sometimes playing as a higher power, putting us to self-judgment at all times, bringing us to self-definitions and limitations.
Portugal-born Anibal dos Santos started his professional career at the age of 20. After finishing his dance education, at the Dance School of the National Conservatory, in Lisbon, he worked in choreographic collaborations with Pedro Ramos, Kwenda Lima, and Marina Nabais.
In 2013, after being awarded a Silver Medal at The International Dance Festival Berlin “TanzOlymp”, was offered a scholarship and moved to Switzerland, where he worked with choreographers as Franz Brodmann, Jacqueline Beck, Félix Duméril.
Relocated to Germany in 2014, where he spent four years as a member of the Lüneburg Theatre dance assemble, under the artistic direction of Olaf Schmidt, work3d with names like Orkan Dann, Anselmo Zolla, and others.
In parallel, Anibal was given the chance to develop his own work as choreographer. In 2015, won 1st prize at the Hamburg and Munich Local Choreographic Competitions, and 6th prize at Bucharest World Competition, with “Dis(a)ble”, a choreography of his own authorship.
"StandStill" (2015), in collaboration with Francesc Fernandez, "Stultus" (2015) and "ex umbra in lucem" (2017), with Phong Le Thanh, were brought to various stages in Germany, including the 6. International AIDS TanzGala Hagen, and open-air dance festival in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
He started working as a free-lance dancer and choreographer in 2018, while joining Compagnie Pál Frenák, in Hungary.
In the meanwhile, has collaborated to several projects, as dancer and choreographer, working with names like Ian Robinson, Rachael Osborne, Helder Seabra, Laura Macken, Nora Elberfeld, Jonas Woltemate, Sabine Glenz, Fernanda Ortiz, Heike Brökerhoff, and others
As of his own authorship, he counts with "(Co)Rupture" (2011), "Um todo em parte" (2012), "Lumen Umbra" (2013), "Instinctu" (2014), "Fat(a)e" and "End Line" (2016), "IsCo" (2018).
"PriMotiv", a duet created in collaboration with Fanni Esteházy, was premiered at the TanzGala für Alzheimer Theater Lüneburg, 2019.
For the last 13 years, he's been studying and working in the dance field with different companies and art makers all over Europe.
Based in Hamburg, Germany, keeps collaborating with different artists from various artistic disciplines, and regularly teaches workshops and dance-classes, for beginner and advanced level dancers, among others in Germany, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Hungary and Brazil.
