Founded in 1999 by Vera Mantero and supported since then by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture, O Rumo do Fumo is a creation, production, national and international tour managing, research, teaching and programming structure in the field of contemporary dance, which positions itself in an experimental and research artistic territory. Territory that also extends the field of dance and its horizons, characterized by the transversality of the artistic disciplines and where dance, music, theater, literature/poetry, visual arts and cinema intersect.

Since 2000, O Rumo do Fumo has been responsible for the production of works by several artists with the aim of creating the necessary means for development and consolidation of their careers, providing a greater continuity of their works and facilitating opportunities for national and international touring.

Between 2000 and 2002, O Rumo do Fumo supported 10 artists, namely André Guedes, João Samões, Margarida Mestre, Mário Afonso, Miguel Pereira, Paula Castro, Paulo Henrique, Rafael Alvarez, Teresa Prima and Vera Mantero. Since 2002, the accumulation of work, exacerbated by the increase of Vera Mantero's and Miguel Pereira's activities, led to the decrease of supported artists, and since 2004 the support was focused on four artists (André Guedes, João Samões, Miguel Pereira and Vera Mantero), allowing to define a more efficient strategy of production, promotion and touring of their works. Since 2008, O Rumo do Fumo started to support punctual projects by young artists, either by supporting the executive production, as in the case of Elizabete Francisca, Nuno Lucas, Rita Natálio, Matthieu Ehrlacher and Pablo Fidalgo, or through various support programs for emerging artists. Currently, represents the associate artists Miguel Pereira and Vera Mantero, the supported artists Henrique Furtado Vieira and Romain Beltrão Teule, and other artists through its emerging artists’ programmes.

In September 2008 O Rumo do Fumo and Forum Dança joined forces to create the EDIFÍCIO at LX Factory, in Lisbon, since then and for the first time the structure has its own studio. This project represented a new collaboration format within the Portuguese dance community, enhancer of new work dynamics, and hosted 102 creation and research projects, organised informal presentations, lectures, seminars, workshops, publication launches and several other events. The synergy created between these two production structures has been consolidated over time, updating strengths and skills with a new work space since 2014: the Espaço da Penha. This space has several studios, as well as spaces for other artistic structures, promoting a cluster that builds and advances together in a new and consistent work hub.

During its years of activity, O Rumo do Fumo has built a solid national and international network of contacts and partners (institutions, theaters and festivals) in four continents, with whom the structure maintains regular activity through the projects by its artists. This network allowed to produce a total of 237 new creations and 586 events (workshops, lectures, meetings, informal presentations, etc), showing 1451 performances, 683 in Portuguese cities and 768 in foreign cities.

Since 2003 O Rumo do Fumo is a co-founding member of REDE – Association for Contemporary Dance, in Portugal.