Biography

Born in 1998, Rafael Candela is an italian brazilian dance artist. He trained at the "Paolo Grassi" School in Milan, the Biennale Teatro in Venice, and the "DanceWEB" program at the Impulstanz Festival, where he was selected with a scholarship. As a performer he collaborated internationally with choreographers such as Alexis Vassiliou, Simona Bertozzi, Nicola Galli, Sharon Fridman, Ariella Vidach and others.

His first work, Forrest, an itinerant site-specific practice, has been presented in several contexts (FOG/Triennale Milano, Danza Urbana, IIC Paris) and won Domino Pubblico's selection call and prize. This project, supported also by Outdoor Arts Italia, received a special mention in 2023 from Bodyscape, an initiative by Danza Urbana in Bologna.

In 2025 he is a selected artist for "Nouveau Grand Tour", promoted by the Italian Ministry of Culture, with a residency at Le Centquatre in Paris.

His artistic practice, still in its early stages, is based on immersing his body in urban spaces, creating associations, encounters, and sometimes small accidents. With a soft spot for irony, Rafael embraces the use of the body in search of a presence in a heightened state of alertness, seeking to balance external stimuli with his own imagination.

Artistic project

"Forrest, a bunch of people" is a project based on performativity in urban environments, exploring the role of bodies in these spaces and how their presence can shift the atmosphere and perception of it. Conceived as a development of a solo (simply "Forrest"), it would be structured as workshops and residencies in which the artist, besides sharing his previous practice, invites performers to research collectively and explore a specific urban space, culminating the process in a final sharing performance.

Following a given spatial itinerary, the practice is deeply rooted in listening as a form of interaction, in a sense of lightness that doesn't impose anything, allowing things to flow, unless an external element, a person or an accident decides to intervene.

The project aims to challenge the role of public spaces, reimagining them as arenas for artistic and social expression. Its name, "Forrest", is a tribute to the iconic film Forrest Gump, celebrating journey, continuous movement and chance encounters.

Format: workshop/residency + final sharing

Size of audience: one to 200 people

Specific location: urban spaces such as roads, squares, parks, a moderately populated environment

Timing / duration: one week workshop + 30 min performance