Dance teacher Ljiljana da Silva has been working tirelessly to bring the fine arts to the Western Algarve – she has been crossing hurdles big and small to bring together a world-class dance school for Escola de Dança de Lagos purely with donations and council support.
The dance school has classes for ballet, contemporary dance and even Indian classical dance. Over the years, she has managed to put the school and Portugal on the map by winning Gold medals in international competitions in Paris, Villach and other cities in Europe.
Originally from Eastern Europe, Ljiljana’s vision is that all children should have access to high quality education in culture and the arts.
Chitra Stern, one of the founding members and owners of Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel in Sagres, herself a mother of four children, has been inspired by Ljiljana’s ambitions and decided that this year the resort’s ‘Helping Hands’ project, started in 2012, would contribute to Ljiljana’s efforts in refurbishing her existing premises at the old central Gil Eanes location in the old town of Lagos.
Chitra said: “Ljiljana is creating a bunch of ambitious and performance-orientated children.” Chitra hails from Singapore “where it is easy for the country to promote education and arts, as money is allocated to these important sectors by a wealthy government. In our end of the Western Algarve, where we are sometimes forgotten for government funds for art/culture, it is the responsibility of companies and individuals to help relevant actions where they can.”
In 2012, Martinhal supported the Casa da Nossa Senhora de Conceição girls’ home in Portimão through the ‘Helping Hands’ project, which featured the Wandering Elephants from Quinta dos Vales in Estombar. This year, the project will be connected to the Dancing Bears exhibition, also from the vineyard of German entrepreneur Karl Heinz Stock.
Young and old can leave their print in vibrant colours on a white bear sculpture for a donation of €3. Full proceeds will go towards the refurbishment of the Associação de Dança’s premises in the heart of Lagos. The exhibition will end in June but the “Helping Hands” project will continue through to the end of October.
282 240 200 | www.martinhal.com
