I am a Bristol-based freelance dance artist, focusing on choreography, movement directing, teaching, as well as working as artistic director and co-founder of AllouAqui Dance Theatre. My dance journey started as a little boy, watching my mother boogying around the house, leading me to Balleteatro in my home town, Porto, Portugal where I trained in physical theatre for three years. Since then I have gained a varying range of training from both Portugal and the UK, including my first-class Dance BA (Hons) degree from Bath Spa University where I am now an associate lecturer for both the Acting and the Dance degrees.
Within my professional creative practice, I have worked relentlessly developing within the collaboration between dancers and actors, blurring the lines between the two disciplines and strengthening both languages; stemming from my training, where I focused on the theatricalisation of the moving body. As a movement artist, such practice has been allowing me to direct and choreograph for both dancers and actors through not only live performances but also in digital work, developing my skillset and knowledge on devising for the screen as well.
Over the past few years, I have explored movement, choreography and theatre through collaborative work with other artists and companies such as Red Room Theatre and AllouAqui Dance Theatre. This ongoing collaborative work has added to my skill set and has been tailored throughout my career to this very field of synergising movement and theatre, in a way that has led me to choreograph, direct, devise, perform, film, edit, produce and teach work in a professional context.
Xavier De Santos
Xavier De Santos
Xavier De Santos
Xavier De Santos
As well as a movement and dance artist, I also have the pleasure of being able to work in the field of digital media.
My creative professional practices across the years have allowed me to work in digital media platforms, developing my skillset and knowledge greatly in many areas such as film, photography, editing, directing, producing, collaborating, and performing for the screen, using high-end equipment and industry-leading software, from concepts to final edits.
Having had some training in this digital realm, during my time studying Dance at university, whilst completing digital performance modules, I quickly became autonomous in filming and editing my own work and assisting others. It soon became clear that I have a keen eye for detail, a strong sense for sequencing and high standards for final edits. However, it is only through experience-based learning in the early days of my career that I have gotten to the stage I am currently at, coming from a determination to create professional digital art.
A major element of my filmmaking practice comes through my collaboration with other artists, creating films that are showcased across the world, and have won various awards.