Dorothée Munyaneza and Idio Chichava Win the 2024 Salavisa European Dance Award!
On Thursday, November 27, the inaugural Salavisa European Dance Award ceremony took place in Lisbon. Rather than being awarded to a single recipient, the prize was shared by two choreographers: Dorothée Munyaneza and Idio Chichava, both celebrated for their work. We are especially proud that, in collaboration with Kaaitheater, we have already had the opportunity to present Mailles and Toi, Moi, Tituba, ... in our venue. On March 14 and 15, Munyaneza's latest creation, Umuko, will also grace our stage.
Dorothée Munyaneza and Idio Chichava have been announced as the first winners of the Salavisa European Dance Award, a prize established by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in collaboration with six other European cultural institutions: ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival (Austria), KVS (Belgium), Dansehallerne (Denmark), Maison de la Danse/Biennale de la Danse (France), Joint Adventures (Germany), and Sadler’s Wells (United Kingdom).
The winners, selected from a shortlist of five nominees by a jury of three independent experts—Mette Ingvartsen, Nayse López, and Fu Kuen Tang—will share the €150,000 prize money and have the opportunity to present their work on the stages of the partner institutions.
The jury praised Dorothée Munyaneza and Idio Chichava for their “remarkably accomplished artistic approaches in recent works, as well as the close connections they maintain with their artistic contexts, communities, and collaborators.” They emphasized that the works of both artists “are not only driven by personal artistic interests but also by a complex understanding of the world around them and the crucial role dance can play in broader societal discussions.”
Acknowledgment Dorothée Munyaneza
Dorothée Munyaneza is a multidisciplinary artist—singer, musician, dancer, actress, writer, and choreographer—who transcends boundaries by using music, song, text, and movement to explore fractures as dynamic forces and to create spaces of resonance and hope. Born in Rwanda, she studied music and social sciences in London before moving to Paris, where she collaborated with various choreographers. In 2013, she founded her own company, Kadidi. According to the jury, Dorothée explores spaces of profound pain, “connecting history and trauma with love and hope, with a deep understanding of the body’s capacity to tell stories and create emotional spaces.”
Acknowledgment Idio Chichava
Idio Chichava is a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of the dance company Converge+ in Mozambique, where he returned after a successful career in France. In his home country, he promotes free dance education in local communities and invests in multidisciplinary productions and collaborative projects that encourage participants to explore their inner worlds. The jury described Idio’s work as “a powerful affirmation of collective energy and the desire to create and live together.”