Mario Barrantes Espinoza is a multidisciplinary artist of Costa Rican-Nicaraguan heritage. They studied theatre and dance at the National University of Costa Rica, before moving to Belgium, where they graduated from the Training Cycle (2016) and the Research Studios (2018) at P.A.R.T.S. He has collaborated in works by Fran\u00e7ois Chaignaud, Th\u00e9o Mercier, Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe, Michiel Vandevelde, and Eszter Salamon.<\/p>\n
Mario\u00a0currently develops projects as an independent artist.\u00a0His work articulates performance, text, voice, and installation through the reinterpretation of popular culture, oral traditions,\u00a0historical\u00a0archives, and speculative fiction. Their two end-of-studies works,\u00a0[A SEQUENCE] <\/i>and Drift (I)<\/i>\u00a0\u2013the latter in collaboration with Thomas B\u00eerzan\u2013, were selected by various international festivals, among them the dance platform Aerowaves (2019), which \u201cshowcases the most promising new work by emerging dance artists in Europe\u201d. His debut work, el cantar del playo or\u2026 a song is a rose is a thorn (2022), was awarded in 2020 with the Roel Verniers prize by Het Theaterfestival for \u201ccreative ideas and new performing talent\u201d. His work FLESH CAN\u2019T CAN\u2019T NOT\u2019T \u2018TIS FLESH H\u2026<\/i>\u00a0(2024) was selected by Het Theaterfestival 2025, which \u201cshowcases the best of the season in Belgium in theatre, dance, circus, and performance art.\u201d His most recent project, Maxhete <\/i>(2025), is ongoing performative research exploring mythmaking through the figure of the banana within the enclave period in Central America. This work is currently developed through collaborations in S\u00e3o Paulo, San Jos\u00e9, Manila, Martinique, and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
Since 2023, Mario is involved in\u00a0the curation of two projects combining nightlife with performance: Culo Shaking Night!<\/i>, a night inspired by family celebrations in Latin America, where the audience, accompanied by food, kitschy d\u00e9cor and music, meet artists whose work activates narratives around queerness and Latin American themes; and Apolemia<\/i>, a hybrid event blending electronic music, performance, and installation in Brussels\u2019 underground scene. In parallel, he contributes to teaching and mentoring at institutions including P.A.R.T.S., KASK School of Arts, and the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mario Barrantes Espinoza is a multidisciplinary artist of Costa Rican-Nicaraguan heritage. They studied theatre and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2189,"template":"","acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n