POA CIA de DançaPOA CIA de Dança

EU ESTIVE AQUI (I’ve been here) is the performance of the PORTO ALEGRE CIA DE DANÇA that became international as soon as it came to life. Fruit of the exchange with the Scottish choreographer, Mark Sieczkarek, the spectacle was conceived in the south of Brazil and had its premiere in Wuppertal, Germany – the headquarters of the Tanztheater of Pina Bausch. The company also toured around that area in Germany, receiving an amazing welcome from the public and critics.

It is a joyful and intense spectacle, which rescues ballet components with symmetric and precise movements, mixing universal signs and some movements that resemble the geishas in the Japanese culture. All this mixture results in an original contemporary dance. A celebration that brings to the public the desire to go on stage and join the dance.  50 minutes of a magical and hypnotic ritual, lulled by the songs from Cordel do Fogo Encantado, Caetano Veloso and Naná Vasconcelos.

Synopsis of the Spectacle

The second choreography of Mark Sieczkarek for PORTO ALEGRE CIA DE DANÇA is inspired by the observation of the eternal and futile human attempt to imprison time.

The spectacle questions the creation of identities that bring limit to the borderless, identities that mask the fact that we belong to a living organism: the planet Earth. In this spectacle we go deep into the human search, regardless of location and time. The wish to perpetuate the moment, which once represented is already gone.

EU ESTIVE AQUI points to the eternal that is in every moment and brings to the stage the intensity of the now – so present in the dance – which is ephemeral by nature.  They are movements that refer to a hidden language, perhaps ancient, full of meaning, a hidden desire to communicate the impossibility of understanding. A misunderstanding that often generates the impulse to leave a mark, even if it is just a scar on the planet, a static shout: I’ve been here.

The work reveals a path to transcendence, the total surrender celebrated by the collective dance.

Scenography

The scenery of EU ESTIVE AQUI consists of four panels which are 6m high by 10m long, which make up a scenic box where the action happens. There are 240m2 hand-painted by the versatile artist Mark Sieczkarek, in collaboration with Company supporters. The representation of flowers and seeds refers to the diversity of Brazilian flora and this harmony creates a contrast with the marks left by man on the planet. The translucent texture of the panels allows sensorial dives, induced by the light changes.

Costume Design

The costumes follow the same style as the scenery, representing the harmony between people and the environment – a living organism of constant change, which influences and is influenced by their beings. Designed by Mark Sieczkarek, they were creatively produced by the dressmaker Neusa Guidotti.

Music

The soundtrack was the result of interactive research between movements that arose and the characteristic beats marked by the percussion. Mark Sieczkarek comments that he learned Portuguese through listen to Brazilian music. This knowledge is shown when Mark presents some songs by Caetano Veloso, which are little known even among his fans. The spectacles theme was created with a repeated sequence of the song “Os oim do meu amor” from the group Cordel do Fogo Encantado.  The great percussionist Naná Vasconcelos is also present, as well as songs with a mix of Cuban and Brazilian rhythms. All this involved by the Brazilian beat of tambourine inviting the viewer to dive in.

Lighting

From the darkness comes a light, which is projected on the movements as Chinese shadows, and creating many forms. Shadow and light. Black and white. The beat of Tambourine boosting gesture that will highlight the scenery and the costumes, which are made of flowers and leaves. It’s a light that integrates everything and exposes the particularities, bringing the dancers to the forefront and merging them to the scene. The small variations of colours and textures go on punctuating the unfolding dance and marking the changes in the atmosphere. The lighting design, signed by Maurício Moura, shows the integration of the team in its unique view of the suggested aesthetics.

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