...Ao que isto chegou Performance

Take justice into one's own hands, say tarot cards or power-hungry humans. Doing justice can be an act of revenge or an act of courage. This is an ephemeral act... What has brought us to this point is doing justice for one's own body against the commodification of art. A happening that finances itself, pays the rent, has a voice, and combines both planning and improvisation. Xana is a prostitute of art; many say she sells her body as a manifestation of the precarious times that art is going through, has gone through, and will go through. Yes, it's a feminist act. A human or humanitarian act. Xana Novais seeks in her work an intersection between the public and the private, sharing her intimacy on stage as an artistic act. She transforms political acts into literal marks on her body, using fetish, gore, and voyeurism as activist acts. 

Concept, Direction, Set Design, Choreography, Light and Sound: Xana Novais

Photography and Video: Rita Soeiro 

Executive Producer: Tatiana Rocha

Sponsors: Casa Felisberto Mármores, Brb Pichelaria And Carpintarias Lavandeira 

Acknowledgements: Angela Cardoso, Valter Gomes, Rebeca Letras, Jrcp Arquitectos Limitada, Fer Fer Fer, Rita Soeiro, Diogo Bessa, Rmf Lda

This piece revolves around the concept of a performative manifestation carried out by a single artist

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Xana Novais 

Xana Novais, born in Porto in 1995, is an actress, dancer, and performer. She graduated in theater at Balleteatro Escola Profissional in 2013 and completed the FAICC dance course at Companhia Instável. She stands out as an interpreter in various shows, including o Nome da Rosa by Pedro Zegre Penim (Teatro Municipal do Porto/Teatro Praga, 2015), O céu é apenas um disfarce azul do Inferno by Hugo Calhim Cristovão and Joana Von Mayer Trindade (Complicidades Festival, 2015), Despertar da Primavera by Teatro Praga (Teatro Praga/CCVF/Teatro Viriato/TNSJ, 2016), Palhaço rico Fode Palhaço Pobre by João Pedro Vale and Nuno Alexandre Ferreira (Bienal Boca/TMP/São Luiz Teatro Municipal, 2017), M18 by Da Estrutura (Teatro Municipal do Porto / Casa da cultura de Ílhavo), Jungle Red by Carlota Canto Lagido (Festival DDD/2018), Apollon by Florentina Holzinger (Campo, 2017), A Divine Comedy (something great, 2021), and Ofelia's Got Talent by Florentina Holzinger (volksbunhe, 2022). In 2019, she starred as Dolores in the series DOLORES by Tota Alves (RTPlay) and performed the works "CUT PIECE" and "BAG PIECE" in Instruction Pieces by Yoko Ono (Serralves, 2020). As a creator, she developed the shows (VS) POPCORN, Un Teknè, and (G) Dysphoria APP. In 2022, she created Como Matar Mulheres Nuas (March 2022, TMP, International Performing Arts platform, 2023). In 2023, she premiered the play ELECTRA VAI AO TECHNO (Barreiro, 2023). Xana Novais has been developing her works, which involve a collection of mental and physical tests that she proposes to herself, constantly navigating between fiction and reality, with extremely autobiographical details.