Sesc Pompeia presents {FÉ}STA by Coletivo Prot{agô}nistas

{FÉ}STA celebrates black circus and premieres January 16 at Sesc Pompeia in São Paulo.

The Coletivo Prot{agô}nistas brings the premiere of {FÉ}STA on January 16, 2026, at Sesc Pompeia, São Paulo. The season runs until February 8, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. Extra shows will take place on January 23 and 30, and February 6 at 4 p.m.

After the success of Prot{agô}nistas – The Black Movement in the Circus, the group deepens its research into circus, dance, and live music, reaffirming the importance of black contemporary circus on one of the city’s most prestigious stages.

Conceived and directed by Ricardo Rodrigues with Renato Ribeiro and Washington Gabriel, the show celebrates Afro-diasporic aesthetics through poetry, humor, and the ancestral force that fuels the circus arts.

The performance explores four symbols of human existence — death, unity, life, and faith — through metaphor and sensory imagery. {FÉ}STA invites the audience to embrace life in all its fullness.

“Death stands for the crossing; life is expressed through the beauty of movement. Faith, here, has no labels — it begins in a samba circle and reaches for the sublime,” says Rodrigues.

The performance and cast

Nine performers share the stage — Zanza Santos, Wilson Guilherme, Tatilene Santos, Robert Gomez, Ricardo Rodrigues, Keithy Alves, Jéssica Turbiani, Helder Vilela, and Guilherme Awazu — interacting with a multi-position scaffold that becomes a living circus apparatus.

The live soundtrack is performed by Guilherme Awazu, Jaque da Silva, Mariana Per, Melvin Santhana, Pitee Batelares, and Vinícius Ramos, under the musical direction of Santhana. Costumes by Karine Lopes draw from Afrofuturist references, while lighting by Danielle Meireles enhances the emotional impact of each scene.

{FÉ}STA turns the circus ring into a space of resistance and beauty, where laughter becomes faith and the black body an eternal source of creation.

Workshops

The collective also promotes artistic workshops that integrate circus, dance, and music to explore the body as a site of memory and creation, aimed at artists, teachers, and enthusiasts.

In Acrobatics and Body in Movement, Wilson Guilherme and Tatilene Santos lead physical exercises combining technique and creative expression. Body in Celebration: Dance and Rhythm with Keithy Alves and Washington Gabriel explores black music rhythms like samba rock and funk. Finally, Sound and Circus with Melvin Santhana and Mariana Per investigates music as dramaturgy.

About the collective

Founded in 2019 with Prot{agô}nistas – The Black Movement in the Circus, the group has toured major Brazilian festivals, earned the Arcanjo de Cultura Award, and the Leda Maria Martins Award, and has toured through Brazil’s main cultural circuits via the Culture Incentive Law.

Service

{FÉ}STA

Dates: Jan 16 to Feb 8. Fridays & Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 6 p.m. Extra shows on Jan 23, 30, and Feb 6 at 4 p.m.

Venue: Sesc Pompeia — R. Clélia, 93, São Paulo, SP.

Tickets: R$ 40 | R$ 20 | R$ 12.

Duration: 1h15. Rating: All audiences.

Workshops: registration via Sesc app and website.

Photo: Divulgação