Alice Ripoll and Hiltinho Fantástico explore the ancestry of Brazilian dance in ‘PUFF’ this May

admin 14/04/2026 Dance News UK No Comment

Brazilian choreographer Alice Ripoll and dancer Hiltinho Fantástico make their Sadler’s Wells debuts in the Lilian Baylis Studio this May with the UK premiere of the magnetic solo PUFF. Performed by Fantástico with the audience seated on three-sides, the production explores the use of disguise as a device to transmit techniques, messages and traditions from otherwise silenced cultures.

Moving through samba, capoeira and passinho, the show examines the ancestry of Brazilian dance, starting in Africa. The work evokes a sense of illusion through speedy steps and fast movement to suggest that something is deliberately being hidden from view. The word ‘puff’ can also mean ‘a light breath’, carrying the idea of something that disappears as if by magic.

PUFF premiered at Actoral in Marseille in 2025 and marks the culmination of a long-standing collaboration between Ripoll and Fantástico, who have been working together for the past seven years within the SUAVE and REC dance companies. Both collectives develop a hybrid language that merges contemporary dance with Brazilian urban forms. The two artists have collaborated in acclaimed works such as Cria, Lavagem, aCORdo, and Zona Franca, which have toured major festivals and theaters around the world.

Following the performances in the Lilian Baylis Studio, PUFF tours to the Dublin Dance Festival on Friday 15 & Saturday 16 May 2026.

Rippoll and Fantástico said: “We are very excited to bring PUFF to London for the first time. It is a work that is deeply rooted in a range of Brazilian dance forms, while remaining universal in its essence — profoundly human and delicate. The piece presents a man in a state of vulnerability, playing and drifting through space.”

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Ripoll initially studied psychology before shifting her focus to dance, motivated by curiosity about the body’s capabilities and a desire to explore movement. She launched a choreographic career after earning a degree from the Escola Angel Vianna – a major choreographic and motor function rehabilitation center. Her work combines contemporary dance and Brazilian urban dance through research that offers dancers space to represent their experiences and inner memories. Alice Ripoll heads two collectives: REC and SUAVE.

Fantástico is a dancer, performer, and teacher from Rio de Janeiro, recognized as one of the leading figures of “passinho” in Brazil. He gained national visibility after winning the Batalha do Passinho in 2013 and later joined the Dream Team do Passinho, helping to bring the style to wider audiences. In recent years, he has expanded his artistic research through a close collaboration with Ripoll, bringing urban dance into the realm of contemporary performance and appearing in works presented in Brazil and abroad. With a striking stage presence and a singular movement vocabulary, Fantástico stands out as one of the most expressive artists to emerge from the cultural landscape of Rio’s favelas.