This weekend, I saw DanceBrazil for the first time in the company's last performance of the spring season at the Joyce. It's about time, since the New York-based company has been around since 1977 and are one of those Brazilian cultural institutions in the US that has gained critical acclaim the world over. I'm a little skeptical when it comes to modern dance, but I was thrilled to discover that thanks to the company's director, Jelon Vieira, there's a wonderful blend of both contemporary dance, capoeira, and other Brazilian dance forms, all set to amazing, mostly live music.
A little background: originally from Salvador, Mestre Jelon Vieira moved to Europe in the 1970s, and during a trip to the US, fell for New York and had the incredible opportunity to be offered a scholarship by Alvin Ailey. He studied with Ailey, who urged him to choreograph his own work, and Vieira formed his own company in 1977. Originally called Os Capoeira da Bahia, Ailey (who went on to be a board member of the new company) suggested Vieira change the name to something easier for Americans to pronounce and understand, and so he called it DanceBrazil. Vieira was one of the first people to bring capoeira to the US, and has taught at universities all over the US and in Brazil. He has also founded other capoeira groups in the US and Brazil, including a school in Salvador where he began grooming dancers for DanceBrazil, and now several of his students dance with the company. He was also featured in a 2005 documentary about his work, though I haven't been able to find anywhere
The company currently has twelve Brazilian dancers and several musicians, including dancers originally trained in classical ballet, and others originally trained in capoeira, as well as several fantastic percussionists.
The team over at Roda Magazine produced a great short documentary about the company, so take a look:
Interview with Dance Brazil from Roda Magazine on Vimeo.
(Also, during the New York season, DanceBrazil performed on TV, and provided some amusement in explaining to the FOX 5 anchors exactly what capoeira was.)
According to Vieira in the documentary, the company has had success with audiences, but has struggled with American critics. Judging by the latest review from the New York Times, I see what he means. I think, though, the more capoeira and Brazilian elements, and the less Ailey-type movement they can fit in a single performance, the better the reception will be.
The Ailey influence is in fact very strong, but when balanced well with other types of movement, it's a welcome addition to the fusion of Brazilian dance forms and other American modern dance influences (I think there may be some Graham in there as well). But the most breath-taking parts of the performances are the capoeira sequences and the acrobatic feats, as well as the incredible jumps. My favorite piece was A Jornada, which is akin to Ailey's "Revelations" in that it seems to be one of the company's successes and a cornerstone of the type of dance the company offers. It starts out slow and somber, and gradually picks up speed and includes some incredibly exciting sequences that were the audience's favorite out of the three pieces at the performance I saw at the Joyce. The audience was very diverse, especially for a contemporary dance performance, and the more traditional capoeira sequences were the ones that really had people on the edge of their seats.
To learn about DanceBrazil's upcoming performances, click here. See here for photos of the company, and click here to follow DanceBrazil on Facebook.
DanceBrazil - video 1 from DanceBrazil on Vimeo.
WOW !
Posted by: Ana | April 25, 2011 at 04:43 AM