Cia Converge+
Idio Chichava
“VAGABUNDUS”

August 7 & 8, 2026
20.30 H
Muffathalle

Tickets August 7, 2026Tickets August 8, 2026

Tickets
25-35 EUR / 20 EUR reduced rate
 
Barrier-free

Tänzerische Einführung „VAGABUNDUS“ mit Idio Chichava
8. August 2026
19.30 h
Muffatstudios
Eintritt frei

“I believe that dance can heal our world. Through it, we learn to truly feel, hear, and see” – Idio Chichava

In 2024, he and Dorothée Munyaneza became the first winners of the world’s most lucrative dance prize, the SEDA – European Dance Award, presented by the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, JOINT ADVENTURES in Munich, and seven other international festivals and organizers.

Migration is as old as humanity itself – and yet it often remains misunderstood. It appears as a statistic, a crisis, or a border issue, but rarely as what it is at its core: a deeply human urge for movement, encounter, and change. Mozambican choreographer Idio Chichava approaches this theme through the body – as the bearer of memory, identity, and communal energy.

In his performance “VAGABUNDUS,” dance and song merge into a collective, powerful expression of origin, loss, and togetherness. Inspired by the ritual dances of the Makonde people of Mozambique and neighboring regions, Chichava creates a pulsating organism on stage with 13 dancers: a “global body” in which individuals connect with one another through movement and voice.

Direct, passionate, and captivating, “VAGABUNDUS” exudes an immediate power. The performers dance nonstop, singing traditional and contemporary Mozambican songs, gospel, and baroque motifs – carried solely by their presence and the personal objects they carry with them. From fragmented movements emerges a narrative about life as a constant journey: about migration, community, and the need to find a place in the world.

Idio Chichava is a dancer, choreographer, and director of the Converge+ Dance Company in Mozambique. After a successful career in France, he returned to his home country. There, he advocates for free dance classes in local communities, using this approach to create multidisciplinary productions and collaborative works in which everyone can explore their own inner world. His work combines choreography, music, and performance, creating spaces for encounter, expression, and shared experience.

In addition to his work as an artist, Chichava is active as a curator and producer of various cultural initiatives in Maputo, including the KINANI platform and the Raíz Traditional Music Festival. Among his best-known works are productions such as “Veridicidade,” “Inkino,” and “Yellow Fat Chaos!”

Internationally, he has collaborated with numerous renowned artists from Africa and Europe and has participated in residencies and tours in over 30 countries. Since 2005, he has also been a member of the French company Kubilai Khan Investigations and currently divides his time between Mozambique and France.

Company: Converge+
Concept and Choreography: Idio Chichava
Assistant and Rehearsal Director: Osvaldo Passirivo
Performers: Açucena Chemane, Arminda Teimizira, Calton Muholove, Cristina Matola, Fernando Machaieie, Judite Novela, Mauro Sigauque, Martins Tuvanji, Nilégio Cossa, Osvaldo Passirivo, Patrick Manuel Sitoe, Stela Matsombe, Vasco Sitoe
Lighting: Phayra Baloi
Tour Management: Silvana Pombal
Production: Yodine Produções
Partners: Companhia Nacional de Canto e Dança (CNCD), KINANI – Plataforma Internacional de Dança Contemporânea, One Dance