Marciano Silva dos Santos is a native of Brazil. His work with the traditional Afro-Brazilian dance company, NegraO, and contemporary dance company, Cia dos Homens, earned him international acclaim. In 2006 he was recognized by the American Folkloric Society as a Brazilian folk artist of unique and exceptional ability, and since that time he has been sharing his expertise with the Minnesota dance community. He has danced for TU Dance, Penumbra Theatre, and Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater. Marciano has quickly gained recognition for the high quality of his professional work. He was named “Best Dancer” by City Pages in 2009 and “one of the most graceful movers on any Twin Cities stage” by the Star Tribune in 2010.

Most recently Mr. Silva dos Santos has turned his attention to his choreographic work, which fuses Afro-Brazilian dance, capoiera and contemporary dance into something uniquely irresistible. His company, Contempo-Physical Dance, pushes the boundaries of contemporary dance by investigating and producing vibrant new movement and performing highly physical choreographic work. In 2010 he was awarded a Travel & Study grant by the Jerome Foundation to research the intersections of contemporary dance and capoeira. In June 2011 he was selected by the Cowles Center to attend the Minnesota Dance Lab, a part of the National Dance Project’s Regional Dance Development Initiative, at the College of St. Benedict. His first full-length work for Contempo-Physical Dance called Motirõ will première in Minneapolis in February 2012.