WonderLandi proposes an itinerary in which music is the performative epicenter. Composed by an unusual cast in my artistic career (Vânia Fernandes and Luís Sousa ⎯ both representatives of Portugal at Eurovision in 2008, Jonas ⎯ fado singer and dancer, and others to be defined), WonderLandi aims to use rhythm and melody as a choreographic matrix, capable of structuring and orchestrating bodies, objects, texts, intentions and movements.

This project is a tribute to this mysterious phenomenon that haunts humans and animals: music. Although there is no consensus on whether it was music or language that emerged first, it is undeniable that the course of our civilization would have been profoundly altered without the invaluable contribution of this intangible heritage. Throughout the ages, political powers, religious institutions and cultural and ideological movements have exploited music as a powerful vector for spreading messages, shaping public opinion and arousing emotions. An emblematic example is the Carnation Revolution in Portugal in 1974, when the broadcast of two songs on the radio catalyzed a popular and military revolt, precipitating the fall of the dictatorship and ushering in an era of democracy in the country.

As Madonna sang, “Music makes people come together,” but music also has this aggregating effect in nature: fundamental to the mating rituals of birds, communication between whales, the memory of elephants, the coordination of bees and the safety of primates. Music is a great empire, and its legacy is the focus of WonderLandi, which sets out to analyze this immaterial subjective manifestation capable of hypnotizing us, activating states of mind and inciting us to action. The project aims to evoke the power of music, its omnipresence in nature, its relevance and the way it has been perceived and celebrated in different parts of the world throughout history. A project about music through music.