On September 25th, the Companhia de Dança de Almada will premiere “A Espera do Baleiro*” (Waiting for the Void), a piece choreographed by Xián Martínez - iXa, in co-production with the Xunta de Galicia and the Axencia Galega das Industrias Culturais (Centro Coreográfico Galego).
Based on the tradition of the Santa Compaña in Galicia and the Procissão das Almas in northern Portugal, this piece aims to open a space for shared contemplation — a territory between worlds, where dance becomes ritual and waiting, a form of eternity.
Choreographer and creative director Xián Martinez, in this work, seeks to evoke the moment of pause, the interval before the final farewell. It's a look at the human capacity to dwell in doubt, to find beauty in the unknown, and serenity in finitude. At the same time, it's a tribute to the poetics of Galician-Portuguese superstition and mythology, reminding us that souls don't completely drift away — they continue to accompany us, quietly, like presences of light and memory.
Xián Martínez - iXa trained at RCPD Mariemma and graduated in Choreography and Performance from the Conservatorio Superior de Danza de Madrid. He has worked with companies and creators such as Dantzaz, Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin), Opéra de Lille, Martin Harriague, Marta Pazos, Sol Picó, Colectivo Glovo, Itzik Galili, among others. Since 2020, he has directed iXa, accompanied by Elena Castellanos and Paula Urquijo, a contemporary dance company with a strong interterritorial identity between Galicia and the Euskal Herria.
“A Espera do Baleiro” premieres on the main stage of the Teatro Municipal Joaquim Benite, at the opening of the 34th Quinzena de Dança de Almada - International Dance Festival.
* Baleiro adj. Empty, completely unoccupied. In Dicionário de Galego https://www.estraviz.org/
Sep. 16, 2026
