Daniel Seabra is the winner of the Coliseu Porto Ageas Young Artists Award – Circus Arts

The aerial acrobat Daniel Seabra is the winner of the first edition of the Young Artists Prize Coliseu Porto Ageas – Circus Arts. The unveiling and award ceremony took place this Monday, December 19, the day on which the Coliseum celebrated its 81st anniversary.

Born in Porto, Daniel Seabra (b. 1993) is one of the most important names in the new wave of contemporary circus in Portugal. He fell in love with the magic of the circus as a child and spent the next few years learning how to transform the acrobatic gymnastics he already practiced into circus language. In 2010, aged 16, he began his artistic journey at Chapitô, specializing in aerial acrobatics. A distinguished student for three consecutive years, he won the Talento Nacional – BES 2013 scholarship.

He has worked as an aerialist for Disney on Ice, Royal Circus, and Cirque Pinder, among others. He collaborated with different companies, including La Fura dels Baus, Companhia da Esquina, Teatro Experimental do Porto, Teatro Cão Solteiro, Erva Daninha, and in his own name. In 2020, he was invited to join the cast of Circo de Natal by Coliseu Porto Ageas, with a vertiginous acrobatic dance number. In the same year, he created his own company, Circo Caótico.

Aimed at young talents in the circus or dance arts, the Young Artists Coliseu Porto Ageas Award has launched a year ago, on the occasion of the 80th-anniversary celebrations of this historic theatre, in partnership with the Ageas Portugal Group. Annually, and with a value of €5,000, its mission is to promote talent in two artistic areas with a strong impact on the national scene – circus and dance – but which do not always have the public recognition they deserve. It covers performers, choreographers, scenographers, producers, and programmers, among other professionals linked to this area, up to 30 years old.

The jury for the circus arts category was made up of six relevant names in this artistic area: the illusionist Luís de Matos, the clown Rui Paixão, Julieta Guimarães, co-founder of the Erva Daninha company, the Chinese pole virtuoso João Paulo Santos, and Israel Modesto and Isabela Cardinali, linked to two important families with a long tradition in the circus arts.

”The satisfaction of having my work recognized by my peers is unbelievable”, says Daniel Seabra, also highlighting the fact that he was the first winner of the first-ever edition dedicated to the Circus. “It is a milestone, both personally and professionally, because, in addition to being a performer, I am, above all, passionate about the Circus.”

With this distinction, the acrobat hopes to be able to expand his area of performance and show creations and performances to audiences from different geographies and theaters. “I do a lot of shows, mainly in circuits that already have circus programs, perhaps because it’s a lesser-known language than theater or dance. The fact that this type of award is already known in areas such as theater or music makes people recognize the value, increasing the probability that a programmer will pay attention to my work. I hope this award will help expand my path.”

Mónica Guerreiro, President of the Coliseu, underlines the umbilical link between the Coliseu Porto Ageas and the circus, since its foundation in 1941, renewing itself every year. “That is why we are happy to partner with the Ageas Portugal Group in establishing an award to distinguish emerging talents in this ancestral art. With the Young Artists Prize, we are continuing our commitment to new values beyond the exhibitions on our track, filling an existing gap in the area of cultural distinctions and boosting the recognition of the future of circus arts in Portugal“, she says.

“It is with great satisfaction that we award the Young Artists Coliseu Porto Ageas – Circus Arts Award to the winner Daniel Seabra, in this first edition. This award is the materialization of our desire, as a Group, to support young national artists beyond the most recognized areas, such as theater or music, boosting their careers”, explains Inês Simões, head of Corporate Communication and Brand at Grupo Ageas Portugal. “Supporting them is helping the future of culture in Portugal, while we encourage these new talents, like Daniel, to follow their dreams, so that they continue to be a source of inspiration”.

After the first edition of the Young Artists Coliseu Porto Ageas, Prize was dedicated to circus arts, in 2023 the prize will be awarded to dance.

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