Alan Sencades* e Alvin Yong

*associated artist of Erva Daninha 24/25 | satellite project

Alan and Alvin were born on the same day, three years apart and 15,000 kilometers away from each other, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Recife, Brazil. Coincidentally, in 2017, both decided to learn and dedicate themselves to the same circus apparatus: the Cyr wheel. In 2020, they met as students at the same circus school in northern Portugal and began discovering their similarities. As immigrants, Alan and Alvin reflect on their shared characteristics and experiences while building a second home far from their native lands, seeking comfort and transforming unfamiliar people and places into areas of belonging.

“Rima” simply and sensitively suggests a symbolic narrative of the meeting between two strangers who decide to build a home together, using the dimension and form of the Cyr wheel to create this idea of home and a safe place to inhabit.

“Rima” is a multidisciplinary show where circus techniques and movement intersect, with the Cyr wheel as the central language, symbolizing the connection between two consonant pieces within the same (uni)verse. The audience is invited to identify with this universal experience of searching for a home and building meaningful connections, regardless of geographic origins.