“You see it’s like a portmanteau - there are two meanings packed up into one word.” ~ Lewis Carrol – Through the Looking Glass.
THE COMPANY
PORTMANTEAU
Portmanteau is a contemporary circus company from Finland, focused on creating multidisciplinary performances exploring the dialogue between circus and other art forms.
In a constant search for new and poetic aesthetics within the performing arts, Portmanteau was founded as a collaboration between the circus/visual artist Luis Sartori do Vale and the dancer/circus artist Mira Ravald.
It has been touring internationally since 2018, warmly received by both audience and critics alike.
With its first production, the multidisciplinary performance Portmanteau, the company has received the Sirkuksen Lumo Award 2018, as an acknowledgement of the work done to promote Finnish circus arts.
With Piste, piste, piste, they were selected as the ITU Performance 2020. In 2021 they were nominated for the Outstanding Emerging Company category in the International Circus Awards.
LUIS SARTORI DO VALE
Luis is a performing artist, director and visual artist born in Brazil, based in Finland.
After a diploma in Visual Arts (UFMG - Brazil), he graduated from ESAC (Belgium) as a circus artist.
Besides his own projects, he has worked and collaborated with several directors and companies worldwide (such as Kallo Collective, Petri Dish, Archaos, Les 7 Doigts de la Main, Hurjaruuth and WHS), having performed in more than 25 countries.
With his previous works he has received several awards, such as the Special Prize of the Jury in the 35th Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, and being a laureate of Circus Next.
In 2023 he became the first circus artist in Finland to be awarded the State's honorary grant and title of 'Artist Professor'.
He’s a co-founder of the company Portmanteau. When not performing, Luis develops works as a visual artist, between illustration, video and photography.
MIRA RAVALD
Mira is a performing artist working within contemporary circus, dance and physical theatre. She has graduated as a circus artist from Salpaus Further Education in Lahti, Finland, specializing in tight wire.
With her solo works Mira is interested in exploring the borderline of dance and circus through movement based practices, musicality and poetic motion in search of new and fusion-like perspectives.
Besides performing, Mira develops also projects with video, such as the short dance/ circus film OMI (2020), which has gained international recognition for its experimental kind.
Previously Mira has worked in various theater productions, musicals, dance theatres and afro-cuban performances, in Finland and abroad.
