In the Oscar-winning film Poor Things, there is a scene where the heroine Bella, played by Emma Stone, is tempted to run off with a man named Duncan to Lisbon. In her naivety, Bella wanders the street alone when she unexpectedly hears a woman on a balcony strumming on a guitar and singing. The music awakens something unusual within her. The singer’s performance is the musical treasure of Portugal – fado.
Fado, which translates to ‘fate’, is one of the two Portuguese musical traditions inscribed on the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Opinions about its origins are diverse. Some believe it originated from native ballads, while others argue that it evolved from Moorish music. Additionally, some theories suggest it developed through a fusion of musical traditions introduced by Brazilian and African immigrants. Nonetheless, it is widely recognised that fado gained popularity in Portugal during the early 19th century. Like tango in Argentina, early fado was often sung by the socially disadvantaged classes, from prostitutes to sailors. Its themes frequently revolved around love, homesickness, and destiny, serving to relieve the stress of life. Therefore, fado is profoundly emotive and melancholic, often encapsulated by unique Portuguese term ‘saudade’. This word, which lacks a direct translation in English, conveys a deep sense of longing and nostalgia, perfectly embodying the essence of this poignant state of mind.
Traditionally, fado is performed by a singer (a fadista), accompanied by the viola de fado (fado’s classical guitar) and the Portuguese guitar. Typically, performances take place in dimly lit and small indoor venues, allowing patrons to fully immerse themselves in the music. The Portuguese guitar is a unique local instrument with a total of twelve strings, grouped in pairs. Its tuning is slightly higher than that of a classical guitar, producing a beautiful and captivating tone that blends seamlessly with the vocals of fado.
Like tango, fado also has its own dance; however, this tradition was lost in the early 20th century. What was the fado dance like? This question inspired the artistic duo Jonas&Lander to create Tap Fado. Jonas Lopes, one of the members, is both a choreographer and a fadista. To create the work, he conducted research with fellow choreographer Lander Patrick and drewing inspiration from cartoons created by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro. They discovered that in the late 19th and early 20th century, fado’s dance form was popular in places like taverns and brothels. These venues brought together the lower and upper classes, giving rise to an artistic genre that embodied joy and broke boundaries. The dance is characterized by a group of male dancers encircling a central performer, who engages in continuous interaction with the surrounding dancers before eventually exchanging places with one of them.
In Tap Fado, Jonas&Lander introduces ‘Fado Batido’, a style reminiscent of tap dance. The duo integrates female dancers into the traditional dance, eliminating the central dominant figure, allowing all performers to hold equal importance and creating a sense of ‘decentralisation’. It clearly shows that the creators seek not only to recover tradition but also to build upon it, constructing a modern theatrical work that reflects contemporary values.
By Edison Hung
Music critic, winner of the Award for Young Artist (Arts Criticism) at the 2017 Hong Kong Arts Development Awards, Hong Kong Arts Development Council examiner (music), full member of the International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong), and member of Hong Kong a cappella group Zense A Cappella. He is also an editor of the Hong Kong Classical Music Yearbook Series (2014 & 2015).
This article is translated from Chinese.