About Me

Daniel Matos is a choreographer, performer, and visual artist whose work unfolds at the intersection of body, memory, and emotion. With a foundation in visual arts and classical and character dance, he holds a BA in Contemporary Dance from Escola Superior de Dança (IPL, 2017) and completed the first year of the Master in Performing Arts at FCSH – Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

His artistic language is deeply rooted in multidisciplinary practices, where the body serves as a field of biographical, physical, and emotional research. His creations explore the limits of form and identity, embracing hybridity and positioning the present moment as a site for transgression, poetry, ritual, and affection. His works have been presented at national and international venues and festivals.

He was a collaborator in the inaugural edition of BoCA Sub21 (2017), under the artistic direction of John Romão. He has trained with influential artists including Vânia Rovisco, Salva Sanchis, Laura Aris, Tânia Carvalho, Peter Michael Dietz, David Hernandéz, Jácome Filipe, André Mesquita, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Yvonne Slough, and Francisco Pedro.

As a guest dancer, he performed with Lisbon’s Soundpainting Orchestra (2014–2016) and Amálgama Dance Company under Alexandra Battaglia. He has also worked as a choreographer’s assistant with Amélia Bentes and Beatriz Garrucho.

He is a long-standing collaborator with Ana Borralho & João Galante, contributing to the creative processes, performance, and coordination of major works such as ATLAS, SexyMF, World of Interiors, Time to Reflect, Family Romance or the Augmented Reality, Louise Michelle’s Girls, and Internal Stakeholders. His performance credits include collaborations with Angélica Liddell (The Scarlet Letter), Romeo Castellucci (Passione), Barbara Griggi (Dreamland III), Luís Marrafa (Folklore), and others. He has performed at prestigious festivals including Wiener Festwochen, Holland Festival, FIND Festival (Schaubühne), Sâlmon Festival, Grec Festival, and Wiesbaden Biennale.

Beyond performance, he collaborates with sex therapist Cátia Leitão in workshops such as Tantra and the Alchemy of Pleasure and co-leads the practice Liquid Love. He has also provided rehearsal and stage direction support for artists like Vera Mantero, João Fiadeiro, Alessandro Sciarroni, and Niño de Elche, as part of the Verão Azul Festival.

His educational contributions include workshops and talks at the Conservatori Superior de Dansa de València, Escola Superior de Dança, and Verão Azul Festival. His visual work has been published in Merge Magazine and in the book The Art of Building Citizenship, curated by Alix Sarrouy. He was also a guest artist at Lu.Ca’s 43 Ways of Catching the Sun, curated by Teresa Coutinho, and at the Gymnasium programme by Mónica Samões.

In 2017, he co-founded CAMA a.c., a platform for artistic creation, production, and research, where he currently serves as resident artist and artistic director.

His recent choreographic work VÄRA was nominated for Best Choreography by the Portuguese Authors Society in 2023, and his film Almost Uninhabited won Best National Dance Film at the InShadow Festival in 2024. In the same year, he presented RIDER SONATA n8 — a performative study created for Festival Cumplicidades — within the Jeff Wall exhibition at MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, in collaboration with the Champalimaud Foundation.

Currently, he co-curates the 12th edition of the Verão Azul International Arts Festival, and co-directs and programs PEDRA DURA – Algarve Dance Festival, produced by CAMA a.c. and the Lagos Municipality. Since 2022, he has also been the founder and curator of CenDDA – Algarve Dance Documentation Center, dedicated to preserving and activating the region’s dance heritage.