Student who went viral as Ney Matogrosso dreams of the stage: 'I always wanted to be an artist'

Before receiving praise from names like Ney Matogrosso , Fernanda Torres and Jesuíta Barbosa, young Yago Savalla, 16, was already a hit in the hallways of his school in Salvador , where he has lived since he was eight years old. The son of an artist — his mother was a dancer in the 1990s and his grandfather was a musician who played with Alcione — he learned from an early age to see art as an extension of himself.

"Art has always been with me, it's practically in my blood," he tells F5 . "I've been dancing Michael Jackson since I was six years old. I've always been recognized for it at school, but never by the public. And that, for me, changed everything. Finally."

Born in São Luís (MA), Yago began to attract attention at school by imitating the King of Pop. But it was when he accepted the challenge of embodying Ney Matogrosso in the school project "Indisciplinar de Humanos e Linguagens", in honor of the institution's 125th anniversary, that he became a national phenomenon.

Initially chosen to represent the 1970s and 1980s, he was hesitant to leave international pop aside. "Michael is my life. And I've been doing this for a long time," he says. But the school's proposal was to value Brazilian music and cultural movements of resistance to the dictatorship. "At first I was hesitant. I had never danced to anyone else's music. But I accepted the challenge and dove in."

For two months, he dedicated himself to studying Ney diligently. "I watched old shows, analyzed his poses, saw the way he behaved on stage. In my room, I thought: 'What would Ney do here now?' I really wanted to understand and study."

The repercussion came in waves. Encouraged by his colleagues, Yago posted the video of the presentation on TikTok. "At first I thought it would reach 200 thousand views. But in less than three days it reached one million. It was very fast, I never imagined it."

The viralization led him to be noticed by big names in Brazilian culture. "Ney himself praised it. I also received likes from Fernanda Torres, Bruna Marquezine, Lázaro Ramos, Glória Pires. And Jesuíta Barbosa commented too. I never imagined this would happen to me", he says, still surprised by the dimension his performance gained.

According to him, the success rekindled an old dream: to pursue an artistic career. "I've dreamed about this since I was little. I've always wanted to be an artist. But in our country it's difficult to make a career out of art. So, receiving this recognition now gives me the energy to continue. It will get better, it will grow. Thank God, everything worked out."

The presentation that took him to this new level was born from a traditional disciplinary project at Colégio Salesiano. The explanation comes from History teacher Igor Mascarinha, who has been teaching at the school's high school since 2017.

"This presentation is part of a famous project that takes place every year. It is not a June festival, as many people think. At each edition, we work on a different theme. This time, it was the 125th anniversary of the Salesian Church of Salvador", says the educator.

"We divided the classes by decades of Brazilian history, and the students had to connect these periods to great names in culture. Yago's group focused on the 1970s — and that's when the figure of Ney came up, which was absolutely spot on."

According to Igor, in addition to the performance, the students also produced periodicals, documentaries and a photography exhibition. The goal was to stimulate critical thinking and historical recovery. "The choice of Ney was very symbolic, because he is a figure who goes against a dictatorial regime. This was guided in class, so that the students would understand the power of art in contexts of oppression."

For the teacher, the school plays an important role in this type of incentive. "We work here on the development of multiple intelligences. We place great value on art, culture and sports. We have had former students who are now Olympic athletes, singers in musicals... It is something that is part of the school's identity."