A performance for sanitation workers in Braga, Portugal
JUNE 11, 2025 at 9:00 PM at the Agere Truck Yard
In 2025, Forklift was commissioned to direct 85.755t, the opening performance for Desajar, a festival that ran June 10-14 in Braga, Portugal. Part of the year-long celebration of Braga as the cultural capital of Portugal, the festival included over 60 artists from 6 countries. 85.755t was inspired by Forklift’s 2009 production, The Trash Project.
The Forklift team who traveled to Portugal included Artistic Director Allison Orr, who directed 85.755t, along with Rehearsal Director and Choreographer Rachel Nayer and Forklift intern from Wesleyan University, Xander Elfaizy. 85.755t featured more than 50 employees from Braga’s municipal sanitation department, Agere. The title of the dance refers to the number of tons of garbage, recycling, and other material that Agere employees collected in 2024.
Over two weeks, the Forklift team worked closely with the Agere employees to shape the movement choreography. The workers incorporated their ideas and daily tasks into the creative process, helping shape the dance. 85.755t showcased movements from mechanical street cleaning to manual trash collection, large bulk pick up to street sweeping. The dance highlighted the expert movement of Agere employees while centering their perspectives and insights on keeping this historic city clean.
On June 11th, more than 600 people gathered at the Agere truck yard to watch 85.755t, including families of Agere employees, city officials, and fellow artists from the Desejar festival. Original live music was directed by Samuel Martins Coelho. Additional Braga production personnel included Executive Producer Maíra Ribeiro, Project Coordinator Marta Moreira, Production Coordinator Catarina Carvalho Gomes, and Technical Director Wilma Moutinho
Forklift Danceworks gives sincere thanks to the Artistic Director of Desejar, Hugo Chavez, for bringing the company to Braga. Travel Support for Forklift Danceworks was provided by the City of Austin, in partnership with Braga’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City, to promote international cultural exchange and collaboration.”
PHOTO SELECTS Photos by Ana Dinis
