Diogo Oliveira (born in 1991, Porto) has nurtured his passion for dance since the age of 9. A defining moment in his journey was “Al mada nada” by Ricardo Pais (2014), where he rediscovered the expressive potential of his Breaking background and transformed it into the foundation of his artistic career. He was recently nominated by the Portuguese Society of Authors (SPA) for Best Dancer for his performance in “Lago Libidinal” by Jonathan Uliel Saldanha (2023) and completed a Master’s degree in Choreographic Creation at ESD.
As a performer, he has worked with Ricardo Pais (“Al mada nada”), Isabel Barros (“A Lagardere”), Vítor Hugo Pontes (“Fall”), Né Barros (“Revoluções”), Willi Dorner and Companhia Instável (“Ballet de causa única”), Radar 360 (“Circoonferência”), Ensemble Sociedade de Atores (“Vivo ama Morta”), Jorge Gonçalves (“Especular o que há entre nós”), Helder Seabra (“Lowlands” and “In Absentia”), Jonathan Uliel Saldanha (“3xDrillz” and “Lago Libidinal”), Projecto Cardo (“As cores da água”), and Jaime Monsanto (“Os sobreviventes”) among others.
As a choreographer, he debuted in 2018 with “SOLO”, co-created with director Manuel Tur, followed by “Kokoro” with Ana Isabel Castro, and “ninguém”, a solo work developed in partnership with Erva Daninha and Teatro Municipal do Porto. He also choreographed “A Night in the Belly of the Beast”, commissioned by Ensemble for Teatro Municipal do Porto, and “Constelações” by Projecto Cardo in collaboration with the Music Conservatories of Braga and Guimarães. In parallel, he developed “A Coragem de Ser Eu”, a trilogy of pieces that formed the core of his Master’s research.
In 2025, he premiered “Quimera”, a co-creation with Filipa Francisco under the artistic direction of John Romão, working with local communities, and “O inútil também se celebra”, created for Balleteatro’s professional school and presented at Coliseu do Porto.
Due to his success in various national and international dance competitions, Diogo was recognized and supported by the Portuguese Olympic Committee (COP) in 2022 to represent Portugal in Breaking.
He teaches Movement and Interpretation, having taught at institutions such as ACE (Academia Contemporânea do Espetáculo), CDN (Conservatório de Dança do Norte), Balleteatro Escola Profissional, Companhia Paulo Ribeiro, Oficina Zero, Escola Artística da Jobra, Pallco Performing Arts School and Conservatory, INAC (Instituto Nacional de Artes do Circo), FAICC (Advanced Training in Interpretation and Choreographic Creation), AZA Dance Program, among others.
