Newton Moraes Dance Theatre

Newton Moraes

Director, Choreographer, Performer, Founder and Researcher

Newton was born in Porto Alegre – Brazil. At an early age he started dancing Samba, and then pursued studies of Physical Education at the Unisinos University in Porto Alegre. Later he studied Afro-Brazilian Dance, Jazz and street dancing. In 1991 he decided to move to Toronto were he studied Modern and Contemporary Dance at the Professional Programme at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Since his arrival in Canada in 1991, Moraes has choreographed more than fifty works, both for himself and other dancers. Newton has collaborated with choreographer Patrick Parson in "Orixás Voice" (2003) and Dancing Spirits" (2004) two new dances created by the Ballet Creole for their season at the Premiere Dance Theatre at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. Newton also collaborated with Terrill Maguire in "Crazy to be born" (2003) at the World's Fare Festival at Harbourfront Centre and Alexandro Ronceria in "Agua" (2004) at the Planet IndigenUS Festival in the water at the HarbourfrontCentre.

Newton Moraes has received support from the Department of Foreign Affairs to tour Newton Moraes Dance Theatre to Porto Alegre and São Paulo in Brazil and created cultural exchanges with Gregorio Trejo Garcia of Ultimo Tren of Mexico City and the noted choreographer Fred Traguth from Germany. In 1997, he founded Newton Moraes Dance Theatre and he was invited by the District Institute of Culture and Tourism of Bogotá, Colombia to choreograph a contemporary dance piece. The work "Juegos de Amor / Love Games" was the result of his three months of work and was presented in the Teatro Municipal Jorge Eliecer Gaitan with a total audience of 3.500 in 4 performances. Moraes recently returned to Brazil were he and his company performed in 14 cities including Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The Foreign Affairs Canada, the Canadian Consulate in Sao Paulo, Canadian Embassy in Brasilia, Choreographic Centre of the city of Rio de Janeiro and City of Rio de Janeiro officially supported this tour.

Some of Newton's mentors include Jean Sasportes, Fred Traugth David Earle, Patricia Beatty, Danny Grossman, Patrick Parson (African Dance - Toronto), Marcelo do Nascimento and José do Nascimento (Brazil). Further studies were made in Releasing Technique with Stephanie Scura, Improvisation with Denise Fujiwara, Kurt Jooss Technique with Fred Traguth, and Afro-Brazilian Spiritual Dance with Pai Beto do Xangó Aganju.

Newton Moraes was a board member of Dance Ontario Association for more than six years and is a member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists (C.A.D.A.). He teaches Brazilian Dance, and Choreography in the Faculty at the Ballet Creole school of Performing Arts in Toronto. Newton Moraes has also received the Ontario Arts Council Artist in Education Grant to teach in the schools across the Province of Ontario in 2004/2005/2006/2010 and Travel Grants from Ontario Arts Council. Now Newton Moraes studied on 2011/2011 for one year a Master in Fine Arts in Choreography with a scholarship at York University and now is studying Samba with Maninho Costa of Batucada Carioca.