Raquel Fernandes

Born in Lisbon, Raquel Fernandes completed 8 years of professional training at the National Conservatory Dance School in Lisbon. Her classical and contemporary technique teachers included Sandra Correia, Cristina Pereira, Irina Zavialova, José Luís Vieira, Carlos Caldas, Catarina Moreira and Hiroko Nishikawa, among others.
Over the years she took part in the final performances at the Teatro Camões and worked with various choreographers. She completed professional courses at Fórum Dança (Lisbon), the Centro de Danza Victor Ullate (Spain), the English National Ballet School (England) and L'Ecole Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower (France).

Upon finishing the Conservatory (2012), she decided to travel to the United States and study at the Alvin Ailey School in New York, completing the Independent Study programme.
Studied Modern Dance technique (Graham and Horton), Classical Ballet technique, classical and contemporary repertoire, composition and improvisation.

Professional experience highlights include various shows with the Companhia Nacional de Bailado, Companhia Ciranda, Chapitô Production, Companhia Melody (Spain), workshops with Cirque du Soleil, and masterclasses with Lori Belilove (Isadora Duncan generation).

Between 2013 and 2016, she completed a degree in Dance at the Faculty of Human Kinetics – University of Lisbon, finishing her degree with a year-long exchange programme at the State University of Campinas (Brazil). She worked with the choreographer Tamara Cubas on the show “Multitud”, presented at Sesc Campinas.
He also had the privilege of working with the dancer and choreographer Joshua Monten on a choreographic composition course based on sign language.

In 2016 she received the merit award for best student on the Bachelor's degree in Dance and began her career as a Classical and Contemporary dance teacher.
In 2017 she is invited to work in a professional show team in Madeira and in 2018 she travels to Spain to dance with a company for a season, taking a break from teaching.
Upon returning to Lisbon in 2019, she began a Master's degree in Performing Arts at the Faculty of Social and Humanities Sciences, dedicated herself entirely to her passion for dance teaching, and started working with various age groups.
In 2019, she goes to Orlando with the Oeiras Dance Academy to represent Portugal at the All Dance International world competition, where she receives two gold medals in the neoclassical duet and contemporary group categories.
In 2020, she takes part in All Dance Portugal representing Oeiras Dance Portugal, where she wins the award for best professional dancer.