travessia

travessia is a co-creation by Peter Arcanjo and Lucas França, currently in development and production, exploring Black and queer masculinities today through migratory and diasporic experiences. The project brings together Peter Arcanjo and David J. Amado as performers, combining movement, personal narratives and decolonial references to interrogate hegemonic models of what it means to be a man.

The Portuguese word travessia evokes a crossing or passage: geographical displacement, transformations of identity and the gesture of moving across fixed boundaries of gender, race and class. The work does not propose a stable image of masculinity; instead, it follows bodies in transit and ongoing processes of unmaking and reinvention.

DIRECTING

The direction of travessia is built through the friction between bodies, languages and references that carry distinct histories. The experiences of Peter Arcanjo and David J. Amado are brought into relation with diasporic memories and studies of Black and queer masculinities, making the body not merely an element of the stage but a site of inquiry.

The movement emerges from an encounter between Brazilian funk and contemporary ballet, bringing into proximity bodily vocabularies shaped by different histories, codes and forms of legitimacy. Rather than seeking a synthesis between them, the direction works through friction, contradiction and transformation, rejecting both hegemonic models of masculinity and a simple reversal of those codes.

Dramaturgy, scenography, lighting, sound and costume follow the same principle. The text draws on interviews with the performers and remains open to the process; space and light continuously reshape the conditions of visibility; the soundscape brings together funk, voices and classical music; and the costumes combine codes associated with masculinity and femininity. The stage thus remains in a state of displacement, without presenting a fixed identity as a point of arrival.

CREATIVE PROCESS

Work-in-progress presentation of travessia at TalentLAB 26, Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Luxembourg, 2026. Full recording of one stage of the research and experimentation process. The video does not represent the final version of the performance.

PRESS

“TalentLAB 2026 : Le Luxembourg au plus près de la création”
TalentLAB 2026: Luxembourg Closer to Creation
Coups d’Œil, Olivier Frégaville-Gratian d'Amore, June 8th 2026

“Leur prise de parole, leur manière de mettre en situation leur corps et leur représentation sont d’une rare lucidité, un vrai coup de poing.”

“The way they speak, and the way they place their bodies and their representation on stage, display a rare lucidity. It is a real punch.”
Translated from French.

“Da preparação ao espetáculo: conheça os bastidores de Travessia”
From Preparation to Performance: Behind the Scenes of travessia
Rádio Latina, 2026
Video report

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