“I want to speak about what we hide. I almost didn't exist for most of my life because of the belief that I had to exist in a body that wasn't mine. I will stop apologizing to the norm-policing that destroys everything different from itself. I am not incomplete. I want to end this violation of my intimacy, and no one will tell me how to be. I stopped searching for my body in the body of another and found myself with the other. In the secret deal that makes my body a storyteller, I discovered the meaning of its intimate and authentic state." — Diana Niepce
In Anda, Diana (which translates to “Walk, Diana” or “Stand Up, Diana”), Portuguese choreographer Diana Niepce portrays the process of reconstructing herself after a fall that resulted in a spinal cord injury. The performance unfolds as an honest dialogue between body and mind, between logic and chaos, until she rebuilds the body that dances.
In Anda, Diana, Niepce challenges conventional ideas of normalcy, questioning societal prejudices and aesthetic standards regarding bodies. Although her narrative acknowledges the presence of a physical difference, it does not cast her as a victim of the system; instead, the body outside the norm is celebrated as revolutionary.
Anda, Diana also includes a publication in which Diana writes candidly about harsh realities, infused with her distinctive artistic vision. Through her work, she investigates language and hybridism as forms of political action, seeking to redefine the identity of the performative body by exploring concepts of body mutation, intimacy, and experimentation beyond conventional limits.
In 2022, Anda, Diana received the Award for Best Choreography of the Year from the Portuguese Society of Authors.
CREDITS
Artistic Direction
Diana Niepce
Performance
Diana Niepce
Bartosz Ostrowski
Joãozinho da Costa
Dramaturgy Support
Rui Catalão
Lighting Design
Carlos Ramos
Sound
Gonçalo Alegria
Costume Design
Silvana Ivaldi
Support
Joa Cirque
Film and Promotional Video Registration
Eduardo Breda
Photography
Alípio Padilha
Production
As Niepce’s
Co-production
TBA – Teatro do Bairro Alto
Residency Co-Production
O Espaço do Tempo
Supported by
DGArtes / Ministério da Cultura
Marvila Municipal Library / Lisbon City
Embassy of Poland in Portugal
Adam Mickiewicz Institute