Piny began by studying traditional Egyptian belly dances but quickly became interested in urban dance culture. She founded the all-female hip hop group Butterfly Soul Flow and the collective Orchidaceae, where she blends street dance movements and styles with traditional dances from Southeast Asia and North Africa. Alongside Mother Nala Revlon, she co-founded Vogue PT, an initiative that organizes Ballroom events — an underground movement led by African-American, Latinx, and LGBTQIA+ communities, which gave rise to styles such as vogue, punking, waacking, and house. She has worked as a performer in works by choreographers such as Victor Hugo Pontes, Cristina Planas Leitão, Tânia Carvalho, and Tiago Guedes.

Xullaji is one of the names by which we know Nuno Santos. As Chullage, he released the trilogy Rapresálias (2001), Rapensar (2004), and Rapressão (2012), in which he highlights hip hop as a culture of resistance, rooted in the working class of Africa and its diaspora. His interest in words also led him to spoken word as AKapella47. More recently, he introduced prétu, an afronaut who fuses African samples and imagery with the electronic cosmos and pan-Africanist thought. From this project came prétu 1 – Xei di Kor, highlighted by Público as one of the best albums of the year. Beyond his music work, he is also a co-founder of the Black community art collective Peles Negras Máscaras Negras – Teatro do Escurecimento. He also collaborates with Teatro Griot and has worked with companies such as Formiga Atómica, Companhia de Teatro de Almada, Companhia de Atores, and Aurora Negra.

Zona Franca

A partnership between Centro Cultural Vila Flor, Theatro Circo, and gnration

Zona Franca is an interdisciplinary cycle that brings together musicians and choreographers in an artistic dialogue and creative exchange between music and dance. Resulting from a partnership between Centro Cultural Vila Flor (A Oficina), Theatro Circo, and gnration (Faz Cultura), Zona Franca presents three collaborations that will unfold between Braga and Guimarães throughout 2025. The first of these intersections took place in February, featuring choreographer and dancer Vera Mantero and trumpeter Susana Santos Silva. Now, it’s time for the worlds of two other iconic figures to come together. On one side, street dances — from breakdance to clubbing — represented by performer and choreographer Piny. On the other, music and sound art with rapper, poet, and activist Xullaji. Created in an artistic residency in Guimarães, the performance will premiere on May 24 at Centro Cultural Vila Flor in Guimarães, and on June 9 at gnration in Braga.