Dance that Becomes Word: Maria Helena Pinto Launches "Roars of Silence" and "Nudity and Dance"

Dancer, choreographer, and writer Maria Helena Pinto, a central figure in Mozambican contemporary dance, will launch two new literary works on December 1, 2025, at 6 PM (Maputo time). The presentation will be streamed live on her Facebook page. The works, published by Oficina de Textos, will be available on Amazon from the same date.

With a career marked by research, creation, and teaching – and a doctorate in Aesthetics, Sciences and Technologies of the Arts from the University of Paris 8 – Maria Helena Pinto thus consolidates her presence in the literary field. These two new books confirm her unique journey: a writer who uses dance as a starting point to reflect on life, the body, the country, and human anxieties.

In “Roars of Silence,” the author presents a work of poetic prose composed of eight thematic sections, such as Origins, Woman, Loves, Passions, and The Blindness of Power. Through poems and prose, the book addresses the devaluation and violence against women, as well as dreams of individual and collective freedom, with a particular focus on the Mozambican context. The texts reflect experiences and a critical view of our behavior as individuals and as a society.

The book will be presented by the writer and journalist **José dos Remédios**, with readings by the teacher and actor Dadivo José and the actor Ramadan Matusse.

In turn, “Nudity and Dance” is a literary-academic essay that intersects bodies, peoples, cultures, and politics. The work stems from a research journey that began in 2004 with the photographic project “Woman-Mother,” in which the author explored artistic nudity through dance, with photographs by Mauro Pinto.

Divided into three parts, the book raises central questions about cultural hegemonies and the ways in which nudity is inscribed in contemporary artistic practices. Above all, the essay proposes a questioning of how to overcome antagonisms and embrace differences as a form of common empowerment.

Nationally and internationally recognized, Maria Helena Pinto is the author of crucial research on Mozambican dance. Furthermore, she is the founder of groundbreaking projects, such as the first Bachelor's and Master's degree programs in Performing Arts at the Pedagogical University of Maputo and the Dans'Artes Artistic Village. Recently, she represented Mozambique at the largest Performing Arts congress in Brazil, ABRACE.

After Ardentes Fragmentos da Vida and Devir(es) Contemporâneos, the choreographer now reinforces her presence in the publishing world with two works that deeply engage with the arts, memory, criticism, and the transcendence of the body.