Leiria was another city completely unknown to me as I had never visited it before. I met in this city with the fantastic Belarusian dancer Inesa Markava who has lived in this city for several years. We started the session in the Luís de Camões garden and then went to the historic city center where I had the opportunity to witness Inesa’s unique and contemporary style. An experience that one day I hope to be able to repeat with her.

Leiria is a city and a municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal and in the historical province of Beira Litoral. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leiria-Fátima. The name “Leiria” in Portuguese derives from ‘leira’ meaning an area with small farming plots. The city is bathed by the rivers Lis and its tributary, the Lena, being the castle of Leiria its most remarkable monument. The population in 2011 was 126,879 in an area of 565.09 square kilometres. The city was the birthplace of the modern realist writer Eça de Queiroz, whose first novel, the famous O Crime do Padre Amaro (“Father Amaro’s Sin”), published in 1875, was set in the city.