The Buzz | Almada dance troupe draws thousands on China tour

An unprecedented 6,000 people in all attended four shows staged so far in China by the Companhia de Dança de Almada, one of Portugal’s handful of professional dance troupes, its director, Maria Franco, told Lusa this week. “We have never performed in spaces with so many people,” Franco said. “We’re very pleased with the reception, although audiences here are restrained in their applause.”
Eight dancers from the company, which is based in Almada, across the River Tagus from Lisbon, last Friday began a two-week tour of China organized by a local promoter who had seen the dancers’ work on the internet and decided to invite them.
The tour began in Hangzhou with one show attended by 3,000 people and another with 2,000. The dancers then flew on to Shanghai, where they have four shows scheduled.
The tour ends in Beijing on 16 November. The company has never been to China but has toured in a dozen countries, from Brazil to Poland.