Chinese pole acrobat, he has been trained in the circus school Chapitô in Lisbon (Portugal) where he comes from (1996-1999). Then he came to France to continue his studies in the high schools of circus ENACR and CNAC (1999-2003) where he worked with Roland Shön, Philippe Genty and Félix Ruckert. He is a member of Le Cheptel Aleïkoum collective which reunits all the artists from the 15th promotion of Centre National des Arts du Cirque.
In 2004, he created his own company called O Ultimo Momento with the musician Guillaume Dutrieux and he created his first show in 2005 « (Peut-être) ». He invented a new way to practice chinese pole, and was quickly considered as a master with his so peculiar way to express himself on the chinese pole, mixing dance, new acrobatics, video and feeling.
To date, João Paulo Santos has created 5 shows and 2 short performances like « Contigo » which tours all around the world for more than 10 years. The last one, created in March 2017, is a new solo « Mundo Interior » with the Portuguese director João Garcia Miguel.
Indeed, João Paulo Santos maintains a strong connection with his country of origin, Portugal, where he is considered as a pioneer in the field of contemporary circus.
João Paulo Santosis also videographer, and regularly asked to teach or to stage shows.