DESCOBRIR (in Portuguese - DISCOVER) is a contemporary dance and arts company, led by Rosa Mário and Antoine Belon (Guga). The company exists both in France and in Mozambique. It aims at promoting the holistic human development through artistic and cultural activities.

 

Interdisciplinarity is at the heart of DESCOBRIR, building bridges between different arts and disciplines (dance, music, environmnent, video, photo, , etc.). DESCOBRIR collaborates with external artists on case by case.

 

Bringing art in the public space and to an audience which is not always familiarized with contemporary art is also in the DNA of the company everywhere around.

 

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BIO - ROSA MARIO

 

Born in Maputo, Mozambique in 1988, Rosa Mário is a dancer, choreographer, actress and life artist. She gets in touch with dance very early, at her mother's feet and then later in the streets of her neighborhood in Maputo. She then starts a dance training in 2003 in contemporary, modern and Latin dance at the Choreographic Research Center in Maputo, until 2008. In 2006, Rosa wins a scholarship to be further trained in contemporary dance in Paris, at the Rencontres pour la danse contemporaine. This is the year when she participates to her first show "INSIDE AND OUTSIDE".

 

In 2008, Rosa embraces the sport dance, with classic and latin dances, with another show called "NOTHING TO DECLARE". She starts being trained by different WDSF (World Federation of Sports Dance) teachers in Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana and Italy, participating to several international dance sport competitions until 2014 within the national Mozambican selection of dance sport.

 

In 2009, she starts to perform in the public space, in the streets of Maputo, with performances including not only dancers but also musicians and photographers. This is the same year Rosa begins to train ballet at the Royal Academy in Maputo, between 2009 and 2011.

 

In 2010, Rosa participates to her first movie, as a supporting actress in the movie "THE VIRGIN MARGARIDA" directed by Licínio Azevedo : she will get an award for this role in 2014 for the best second actress at the international film festival CINEPORTE, in Brazil.

 

In 2011, she co-creates the show "NOT ENOUGH" together with Mozambican dancer Edna Jaime. In 2012, she participates as a dancer and actress to the musical "WEST SIDE STORY" directed by American Director Greg Ganakas.

 

In 2014, her show "OMAGUEIA" is presented at the international dance festival KINANI. In 2016, she participates as an actress to the movie "OUR MADNESS" directed by João Viana.In 2016, her dance show "ONE WAY", co-created with Ídio Chichava and Osvaldo Passirivo, wins the 3rd place in the European contemporary dance competition in Maputo. 

 

Rosa continues to open her horizons through the participation at various internships on the African continent, providing workshop in Madagascar or participating to others, for example in Senegal, where she is part of the internship "THE MARCH" in 2017 at the École des Sables, in Senegal (Acogni technique, between contemporary and West African dance). This is where she starts the creation of the performance CONEXAO.

 

With a view to bring this project forward in a multidisciplinary way, and made strong with her previous experiences, she creates in 2018 together with Antoine Belon the company, DESCOBRIR.

 

After her arrival in France in 2020, Rosa starts to share the Wavewalk technique, which she developed over the years.

 

In 2021, the DESCOBRIR company is created in the Loire (42), a company now resident at the LABO, an artistic creation centre supported by the city of Roanne.

 

The same year, Rosa starts  with the musician Gonga and the visual artist Filippo Rebajoli the project TRAMES, which aims to put into music, movement and images the life stories of the residents of the old people's home of Charlieu.

In 2023, Rosa starts FANTASTIC MATTERS, a project using fantastic matters considered by some as "waste"...

 

Article : Dancing Climate Activism in Africa - An interview with Mozambican dancer and choreographer Rosa Mario

  

 

BIO - GUGA  / GONGA

 

Born in France in 1987, Guga or Gonga (born Antoine Belon) is a musician, DJ and environmentalist. He lived in France, Germany, Nicaragua before arriving in Mozambique in 2009, where he lived until 2020.He was trained as a musician in classical music between 1993 and 2003, in piano and music theory at the at the Jules Massenet Conservatory in Saint-Etienne. Between 2003 and 2006, he discovered the sounds of organ as well as the piano jazz.

 

After some years of studies in the environmental field and traveling, Antoine settles in Maputo, Mozambique in 2009 where he started to work in the waste recycling sector. Gradually,  Antoine becomes Gonga as he started to put music as a DJ in parties. In 2013 he starts to act as a DJs in events of the AHIKINENi Dance Association in Maputo, which is in association promoting different dance styles, such as Latin dance, Kizomba, oriental dance, etc...

 

Between 2013 and 2020, Guga acts as a DJ in most of the clubs of the capital, as well as during various large events such as the Maputo Reggae Festival, FICA Festival, Hip Hop for Peace, etc.

 

In 2017, Guga starts to produce his own remixes of original soundtracks for the performance CONEXÃO with dancer and choreographer Rosa Mario, slowly but surely starting to introduce his own sounds live in the performance. He then carries out the CONEXÃO PROJECT between 2018 and 2019, bringing the peformance CONEXÃO in the suburbs of Maputo, while recording sounds and interviews. With the recorded sound material, he creates in partnership with visual artist Mario Cumbana and Rosa Mario  the multidisciplinary installation CONEXÃO 2.0.

 

He is currently based in France, where he works on his personal musical projects, and musically accompanies the project of the company DESCOBRIR, whereas he is also working on the TRAMES project, aiming at setting into music life stories from older people.

 

In 2023, Guga starts FANTASTIC MATTERS, a project using fantastic matters considered by some as "waste" to produce live sounds and scenography.