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King Size is based on Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity, which postulates masculinity as a gender performance, and on the historical legacies of drag or cross-dressing representations in Western and Eastern performing arts.

This work seeks to confront the creative and dramaturgical mechanisms of contemporary drag performances with the rigid codes of gender representation in traditional dance and theater, highlighting the differences between what is natural and what is a cultural or scenic construct.

Drag subverts gender roles by emphasizing the theatrical aspects of these interpretations, but it is also a form of social critique and artistic expression. Drag king/queer shows — and what might be called spectacular masculinity — invite us to revisit the staging of masculinity and question: what is the performance of gender?

Through its research and conception, King Size aims to analyze how masculinity is constructed, reinterpreting the relationships between nature, gender, and sex. By focusing on figures embodying masculine myths — such as prophets— and their parodic revisions, this creation seeks to stage a game of disidentification that resists the pressures of sexual binarism in both society and art.

This work will have its premiere during the Portuguese Platform for Performing Arts. More information soon.

Credits

Direction
Sónia Baptista

Interpretation
Ana Libório, Crista Alfaiate, Joana Levi, Paloma Calle, Vânia Doutel Vaz and guests

Scenic Space
Raquel Melgue

Styling
João Caldas

Light Design
Daniel Worm d'Assumpção

Sound
Margarida Magalhães

Dramatic Support
Francesca Rayner, Mariana Ricardo, Maribel Mendes Sobreira

Production Direction
Maria João Garcia

Executive Production
Beatriz Carola

Comunication
Helena César

Production
AADK PORTUGAL

Co-production
Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, Teatro Municipal do Porto/Festival DDD, Festival Linha De Fuga

Co-production Residency
O Espaço do Tempo

Support
Evc, Alkantara, Devir/Capa, Citemor, Livraria Aberta, Livraria Snob, Gaivotas6

Acknowledgements
Queer Lisboa, ILGA

Project financed by República Portuguesa – Cultura / DGArtes

Sónia Baptista

Sónia Baptista completed the Contemporary Dance Performer Course at Fórum Dança and earned a Master Researcher in Choreography and Performance degree with distinction from the University of Roehampton in London, UK. Her training was further enriched by various workshops in dance, music, theater, and video. As a performer and co-creator, she has collaborated with several artists and companies, including Laurent Goldring, Patrícia Portela, Aldara Bizarro, Vera Mantero, Thomas Lehmann, Arco Renz, Teatro Cão Solteiro, AADK, Lígia Soares, Silvia Real, and Clara Amaral.

In her work, she explores and experiments with the languages of dance, music, literature, theater, and video. Among her notable creations are Icebox Fly. Winter Kick (2003), Subwoofer (2006), Vice-Royale.Vain-Royale.Vile-Royale (2009), Peaufine (2011), Tempus Fugit (2012), Today Is It a Squirrel? (2013), In the Fall the Fox, e na queda raposar (2014), Assentar sobre a Subida das Águas (2016), Querer do Corpo, Peso (2017), Triste In English From Spanish (2017), I Call Her Will (2019), and Sozinhar (2019). In 2023, she premiered SWEAT SWEAT SWEAT and in 2024, DYKE ON ICE.

She writes dramaturgical texts for other creators and choreographs for cinema, video, and theater, collaborating with Miguel Clara Vasconcelos, André Godinho, Teatro Praga, Ricardo Neves-Neves, and Cão Solteiro. She has published eight books and works with Fórum Dança, PED e FOR, ESD, ESTC, and the Universities of Minho and Évora. She is an Associate Artist of AADK Portugal.