Materiais Diversos is an independent arts organisation founded in 2003 and based in the municipality of Alcanena, with both national and international reach. It develops a plural and decentralised programme that responds to the urgencies of the contemporary world, grounded in dance while expanding into the performing arts and new artistic languages, including hybrid practices. Its activity is conceived as a space for programming committed to transformation, unfolding throughout the year and intensifying biennially through the materiais diversos festival (since 2009). Beyond conventional venues, it inhabits public space as a shared territory where meaningful relationships are built and forms of active cultural citizenship are explored.

With a focus on contemporary dance and its intersections with other practices, Materiais Diversos operates continuously as a curatorial platform and incubator for artists, ideas and processes, establishing itself as a place of encounter, experimentation and critical thought. Recognised for the coherence of its vision, artistic rigour, and cultural and social impact, it is today a leading organisation within the Portuguese and international artistic landscape, contributing to the development of contemporary arts from decentralised contexts and to the creation of new relationships between culture, territory and citizenship.

Its activity remains committed to the ongoing transformation of artistic practices and of the conditions that sustain them, guided by principles of care, resilience and openness to the present. Materiais Diversos defines itself as a house-laboratory: a space for experimentation, care and exchange, accompanying artists at different stages of their trajectories — from research to the circulation of their work. Its territorial ecosystem connects Minde, Alcanena and Lisbon, hosting residencies, creative processes and public presentations, while positioning itself as a support structure for small- and medium-scale artistic creation.

The organisation embraces a collaborative and feminist practice, placing the body at the centre as a political and relational space, and promoting a plurality of voices, languages and ways of making. It offers a context of trust in which to experiment, fail and begin again, acting as a production and dissemination partner at both national and international levels. Through hybrid formats, mediation and transmission, and a community rooted in care and experimentation, it fosters the construction of a collective body as a social and political force. Materiais Diversos is thus a living, inclusive and dynamic project, sustained by long-term relationships and by essential moments of togetherness.

Materiais Diversos currently organises its activities around two complementary strands: MD Programs and MD Accompanies.

MD Programs gives shape to Materiais Diversos’ curatorial practices through public presentations, publications, gatherings, mediation projects, training and research. Through this strand, we create contexts of encounter between artists, audiences and territories, fostering experiences that question and expand contemporary performing arts practices.

MD Accompanies reflects the organisation’s ongoing commitment to singular artistic trajectories. Through this strand, we develop processes of support, production and co-production, residencies and critical accompaniment that create conditions for research, risk-taking and the dissemination of works in development.

With a focus on contemporary dance and its intersections with other practices, Materiais Diversos continuously acts as an incubator for artists and ideas, establishing itself as a space for encounter, creation and critical thought.

Materiais Diversos is an independent professional organisation funded by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports / Directorate-General for the Arts. It is part of national and international networks such as REDE – Association of Contemporary Dance Organisations, BeMyGuest – Network for Emerging Practices, and the Periferias Centrais working group, and was also a partner in the international cooperation project MORE THAN THIS (2018–2020).

The Materiais Diversos Festival was awarded the EFFE Label (European Festivals Association / European Commission) in 2017 and 2019, recognising its artistic excellence and relevance within the European cultural landscape.

Founded by Tiago Guedes in 2003, Materiais Diversos was under the artistic direction of Elisabete Paiva from 2014 until April 2025. The organisation is currently led by artistic director Cristina Planas Leitão.