Ana Clara Guerra Marques is an
Angolan dancer, dance teacher, and choreographer.
Career
Marques began to learn classical dancing at the Dancing Academy of
Luanda,
Angola, in 1970, at the age of eight.
She completed her first course to become a dance teacher in 1978, and was designated to lead the sole dancing school in the country. She worked as a professional dancer and
choreographer
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...
. In 1990, she completed the dancing high course at the
Escola Superior de Dança de Lisboa in
Portugal and received a special degree in
pedagogy. She has a master's degree in Artistic Performance Dance, and is a member of the
International Dance Council.
In 1991, she set up the first professional dance company in Angola, the
Contemporary Dance Company of Angola. In 1995, she was given the IDENTITY prize by the Union of Artists and Composers (UNAC). In 2006 she received the Diploma of Honor from the Angolan Ministry of Culture and the National Prize for Arts in the Dance category, for her contribution in the fields of education, artistic creation, research and culture of Angola.
As an official of the Angolan Ministry of Education and Culture, she contributes to the conception and elaboration of academic programs.
Her choreographic works include ''A propósito de Lueji'', ''Mea Culpa'', ''Imagem & Movimento'', ''Uma Frase qualquer…'' and ''Outras (frases)''. Her choreography is based on traditional and popular dances from different regions of Angola. Her work is noted for its social criticism, as seen in ''Palmas, Por Favor!'', ''Neste País…'', ''Agora não dá! ‘Tou a Bumbar…'' and ''Os Quadros do Verso Vetusto''. She also introduced inclusive dance to Angola by integrating disabled and non-disabled dancers in the productions of the Contemporary Dance Company of Angola.
References
Sources
* ''Outras Frases'' (vídeo documentary), 52’, col. / p/b, Jorge António, 2003 (C.F. www.imdb.com / search:www.fnac.pt)
* MARQUES, A. C., TAVARES, R. (2003). A'' Companhia de Dança Contemporânea de Angola''. Lisboa: Mukixe e Caxinde Editora.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marques, Ana
Living people
Angolan dancers
Angolan choreographers
People from Luanda
Female dancers
Contemporary dancers
Year of birth missing (living people)