Marcelino Sambé debuts as choreographer with Companhia Nacional de Bailado

Dancer Marcelino Sambé is making his debut as a choreographer with the Companhia Nacional de Bailado (CNB) in Lisbon. His piece, titled ‘Eles, Invertidos’, is part of the CNB production ‘Desassossego’.

The choreography is inspired by the introspective literary work ‘The Book of Disquiet’ by Fernando Pessoa. Sambé, who serves as a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet in London, aims to use the performance to explore human existence and inner thought through movement.

Featuring 13 dancers, the work seeks to translate the complexity of the human condition by metaphorically ‘turning the body inside out’ to inspect the internal self. Sambé expressed a desire to modernize classical ballet and attract new audiences while maintaining its traditional roots.