Aristides de Sousa Mendes was the Consul-General of Portugal in Bordeaux at the time of the invasion of France by Nazi Germany in the Spring of 1940.

Sousa Mendes defied the direct orders of the Portuguese head of state António de Oliveira Salazar, and over a short period of time in May and June of 1940 indiscriminately granted entry visas to Portugal to refugees of all nationalities who wished to flee Nazi-occupied France. Often called “the Portuguese Schindler,” Sousa Mendes also had his list and rescued an estimated 30,000 people from the Nazi advance, including thousands of Jews.

The fact that he saved thousands from the Holocaust was the inspiration for the creation of this choreographic work premiered in co-production with Festival XXII Cistermúsica of Alcobaça, in June of 2014.

Through the already known choreographic language of Quorum Ballet we intend to pay tribute to this towering Portuguese figure and revisit this remarkable period in our history.