The Brazilian Samir Calixto (1978) attended studies in drama, dance, and classical music at the University of São Paulo and the São Paulo City Conservatory. In 1999 he was awarded first prize at the Nascente/Abril Festival for his solo Eros. A year after his graduation in 2004, he came to Europe and decided to dedicate himself entirely to his dancing career. Samir has dedicated the last years to developing his own works, establishing himself as one of the most active independent choreographers in The Netherlands. Among his early creations are Grondzaken (2007), in collaboration with the visual artist Wilma Marijnissen and Beating Hollow (2009), which took second prize on the Jur Naessens Awards. Since then Korzo Productions – the biggest production house for dance in The Netherlands and one of the most prominent in Europe – has adopted him as one of its house choreographers. His first full evening programme – the Winterreise Tetralogy – had its première during the 2012 edition of the prestigious Holland Dance Festival, becoming one of the most acclaimed performances in the festival. His full length piece 4 Seasons had its première in February 2013, being highly praised by both critics and public. The piece received a nomination for the “Swan” – the most important Dutch dance prize – as one of the most impressive choreographies of the year. In 2014 Calixto was the first recipient of the BNG Excellent Talent Dance Award, a prize for outstanding choreographic talent in The Netherlands. His full length creation Paradise Lost (based on John Milton’s classic book) was also granted with a special commission for the BNG Cultural Fonds Jubileum, opening the 2015 edition of the Cadance Festival in The Netherlands. Calixto’s latest work entitled ‘M’ had its première in the spring 2016 and it was co-produced by the Nederlands Dans Theater and Korzo Theater. The work will follow on an extensive tour in The Netherlands during the season 2016-
“Samir Calixto proved once again to have the talent it takes to become a powerful name in the modern dance scene.” Dance Europe over “Paradise Lost” – June 2015