Before fully embracing the world of dance, choreographer Samir Calixto (BR/NL/IT) trained in various artistic disciplines: performing arts, theatre and classical music.

In 2004, when he moved to Europe, he switched definitively to a career as a dancer. After many intense years as a freelance dancer, he started to develop his own work, soon achieving the status of one of the most important names on the Dutch and European dance scene. Among his most important works are ‘Winterreise Tetralogy’ (2021), ‘4 Seasons’ (2014) – nominated for the ‘ZWAAN’, the most important Dutch dance award for choreography of the year, and winner of the first BNG EXCELLENT TALENT AWARD, ‘M’ (2016) co-produced by Korzo Theater and Nederlands Dans Theater, Summa (2018) with the Cello Octet Amsterdam on specially transcribed works by Arvo Pärt, ‘Die Schöne Müllerin’ (2018), for the Dance Company Theater Osnabrück (DE), IN FUGA I (2019), a commission for the Bremen/Hannover company Of Curious Nature, SEEKER※SOLO (2020), DIDO ÆNEAS US & ALL on Purcell’s iconic opera, LA NOCHE ETERNA with the prestigious Black Pencil Ensemble. Among his most recent works is FULGENCE (2025), his second commission for Of Curious Nature.

His work has toured to festivals and theatres in the Netherlands, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Senegal, South Korea and other countries.

From 2021 Calixto launches Matter Affects, an initiative in collaboration with Stacz Wihelm, former artistic director of the Korzo Theatre. In 2022 he also extends his relationship with Scenario Pubblico (Catania, Sicily) – one of Italy’s leading nationally supported dance centres – for a further period as associate artist.