Harrison Rodrigues is a contemporary dance artist from São Paulo, Brazil. He began his formal training in 2013 at ETEC de Artes and Núcleo Luz, a program dedicated to both technical excellence and creative development. Since then, he has cultivated a rich body of work through publicly funded and independently produced projects, balancing collaborative and solo practices.
In 2025, Harrison was invited by Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch to perform as a guest dancer in the historic piece The Rite of Spring by Pina Bausch, marking the 50th anniversary of this iconic work.
Based in Essen since 2017, Harrison works as a freelance artist across North Rhine-Westphalia, engaging in productions in cities such as Düsseldorf, Cologne, and Euskirchen, and extending his practice internationally with projects in France.
As a member of Folkwang Tanzstudio (FTS) — the international graduate company of the Folkwang University of the Arts, founded in 1928 by Kurt Jooss and directed since 2012 by Rodolpho Leoni — he has performed across Germany and abroad, including appearances in Amman (Jordan), Lucerne (Switzerland), and Izmir (Turkey).
With FTS, Harrison is currently involved in the 2023/25 season, performing works by Richard Siegal, Pina Bausch, Morena Nascimento, Carla Jordão, I-Fen Lin, Renate Graziadei, Jakub Truszkowski, and Maya M. Carroll. His recent performances include Lunar Cycle (Richard Siegal – Essen, 2025), Dissonance Symphony (I-Fen Lin – Switzerland, 2025), Orchidee (Raymond Lieu – Essen, 2025), Warten auf S6 (Antonia Koluiartseva – Essen, 2024), Stand / Still (Jakub Truszkowski – Essen, 2024), Eyes Held Wild Horizon (Maya M. Carroll – Essen, 2024), Treasures (Morena Nascimento – Essen and Marl, 2024), Wandering Mind (Renate Graziadei – 2023), and Wonderful Life (Rodolpho Leoni – Marl, Gießen, Essen, Jordan, and Turkey, 2023–24). He also appeared in the extract of ...como el musguito en la piedra, ay sí, sí, sí... (Wie das Moos auf dem Stein) by Pina Bausch (Essen, 2023).
During the 2022/23 season, he joined the ensemble of Nordharzer Städtebundtheater, performing in Winterreise(Tarek Assam – Halberstadt, Quedlinburg, Herford, and Bernburg, 2023), Oratio in Danza (Steffen Fuchs, Gianni Cuccaro & Tarek Assam – 2023), Sportomania (Sara Angius – Halberstadt, 2022), and Froschkönig (Gabriella Gilardi – Halberstadt, Quedlinburg, Staßfurt, and Lutherstadt Eisleben, 2022).
Other artistic collaborations include AMETERANDAHALF by Jill Crovisier (Essen, 2021), C0039: The Three Jars by Luca Bosani (Cologne, 2021), and Bodies in Urban Space by Cie Willi Dorner (Euskirchen, 2019). He also appeared in Das Land des Lächelns (Essen, 2019), the video art WAHNSCHAFFE – Vermisse (Cologne, 2022), and Daisy Bells by Magdalena Ottl (Essen, 2018).
Earlier in his career, he co-directed CISZA with Com[som]antes Company of Art (São Paulo, 2017) and took part in Díptico das Multidões – Cosmos and Axis (São Paulo, 2016), Okinosmóv – Um Ballet Nada Russo by Chris Belluomini (São Paulo, 2015–16), and Heurói also by Belluomini (São Paulo, 2013–14).
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Dance from the Folkwang University of the Arts, a multidisciplinary institution renowned for its integration of dance, music, theatre, and design, and for promoting experimental and cross-disciplinary approaches.
Active as a professional dancer since 2013, Harrison’s work engages with intersections between embodied research, musicality, dramaturgy, and collaborative experimentation — bridging diverse artistic voices within a responsive and evolving contemporary landscapes. His repertoire includes creations such as Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door (Folkwang Young Choreographers – Essen, 2022), SOLI DEO GLORIA (die Brücke PROJECT – Halde Hoheward, Herten, 2021), and JACI and GUARACI (Folkwang Young Choreographers, Essen and SoloDuo nrw + friends Tanzfestival – Cologne, 2019–25).
