We are Enough as Dancers...... A Candid Talk with Dr. Ines Pinto and Choreographer Isira Makuloluwe

TuTu Thin: A Podcast for Dancers | Be a healthy dancer/athlete in mind, body and spirit.

Professor Inês Pinto, MD, Ph.D., is a renowned Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist from Portugal and one of only three specialists in her field in the country to hold a Ph.D. She graduated from Porto Medical School in 2008 at the age of 23, having entered the program at just 17. Alongside her medical career, Inês has a background in classical ballet, an early passion that informs her ongoing interest in the mental health of performing artists.
Currently, serves as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon, the Catholic University Medical School, and the Institute of Applied Psychology (ISPA). She is also a certified trainer in the Circle of Security International R Model, a clinical intervention framework grounded in Attachment Theory and Reflexive Functioning, designed to support parents, educators, and mental health professionals.
In clinical practice, Professor Pinto specializes in Eating BehaviorDisorders, Perinatal Psychiatry, and Early Childhood Support, working within Portugal’s Public Health System. She is also the supervisor of the Research Committee at the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at Beatriz Ângelo Hospital in Lisbon.
Her contributions extend beyond clinical and academic work. Professor Pinto is an active member of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalytic Couple and Family Psychotherapy (Poiesis) and the international mental health advisory group for the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS). She advises on dancers’ mental health at the Lisbon Dance Department of the National Conservatoire, merging her psychiatric expertise with her lifelong connection to the arts.
Isira Makuloluwe, B.Sc., MA is an acclaimed British-Sri Lankan choreographer with over 30 years of experience in contemporary dance and theatre. While earning a degree in Molecular Biology, he trained in ballet and completed his studies at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York. His performance career spanned America and Europe, showcasing a diverse repertoire in ballet, modern, and contemporary dance.

Since 2000, Isira has gained recognition as a groundbreaking choreographer, creating 20 original works in dance and physical theatre. He led his own dance company in France for over a decade, becoming the only British choreographer to secure fixed-term funding there. He has also choreographed for companies like the Geneva Opera Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre (UK). Among his accolades are being a finalist at the Japan International Dance Competition (2001) and winning the Best Choreography Prize at the Kuopio International Festival (2003).

In 2008, Isira launched Dynamic Releasing©, an innovative training method enabling participants to develop technical skills through innate movement pathways and sensory memory. The system empowers students to channel or overcome personal trauma, fostering growth and self-expression. His method has been taught in over a dozen countries worldwide.

With an MA in TV Journalism and Documentary Film, Isira also directs award-winning documentaries, including Shadow of the Bull (2014), which won the British Journalism Training Council’s Best Documentary Award.

Based in Portugal since 2011, Isira directs Ericeira Dance Studio, a movement research hub offering classes, internships, and residencies.

Links: @dynamicreleasing

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