AFRO-BRAZILIAN BLENDS.

AFRO-BRAZILIAN BLENDS
DANCE BRAZIL
JOYCE THEATER
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
MAY 23-28, 2000

Downstage right lay a woman, her body contorted and a muzzle strapped to her face. She sobbed silently, moving like an old cat. In Dance Brazil's world premiere of Black Anastacia, this early, provocative image foreshadowed the rest of what became a moving and highly dramatic work.

Based on the legend of an African tribal queen who was enslaved in Brazil during the seventeenth century, Dance Brazil's Black Anastacia pulsated with action and drama. At times, bodies seemed to spin in the air, while at other moments they moved poetically in place, like slowly-turning ceramic figurines.

Early scenes in a village setting with Young Anastacia (Agatha Oliveira) provided a vision of life centuries ago, with fireside celebrations and dancing. Costumes featured pink headdresses and women in white cotton dresses. A giant tapestry hung at the back; it resembled a parchment with pictures of animals, food and notably, an image of a woman bound and gagged.

Brazilian choreographer Carlos Dos Santos Jr., who has danced in the U.S. with the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble and the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre, was careful not to let the choreography overwhelm the story. Watching the constant juxtaposition of the scenes of the slaves when they were alone and peaceful with one another with the scenes when the abusive slave owners entered with whips and bats was unique. This gave the piece noteworthy drama and steady conflict.

The evening's second world premiere, Ginga, showed off what Dance Brazil's artistic director, Jelon Vieira, is best known for in the United States--bringing the Afro-Brazilian art of capoeira to non-Brazilians. Capoeira blends dance and combat movement and falls under the rubric of martial arts. Ginga provided a pure example of what capoeira can look like when performed formally onstage as opposed to in a studio or outdoors, where it is mostly seen.

This plotless dance, choreographed by Vieira and Edileusa Dos Santos, was essentially a display of the beauty and power of capoeira. Ginga was comprised of all-male, then all-female, and later mixed-company sections. Barefoot and bare-chested men wore the perfunctory long white pants with drawstrings, and women wore dresses and loose shirts. A backdrop that, again, looked like it was a giant piece of parchment was decorated in black ink with cats, tigers and elephants.

A capoeirista is always positioned low and slightly crouched, both feet planted firmly, shifting his weight from one foot to another alternately, at the same time keeping arms up like a wrestler. In sudden bursts of energy, the capoeirista throws his weight from the hips and spins himself in the air, like a cartwheel, though without hands touching the floor. This spinning reached epic proportions when many of the capoeiristas seemed to be literally taking off across the stage. At one point, it looked like a stream of cartwheels. Dance Brazil's capoeiristas Danilo Portugal, Angelo Ribeiro, Iva Sena, Leandro Silva and Flavia Soares performed excellently, pulling off awe-inspiring stunts.

As with all good capoeira performances, live music accompanied it, this time a four-piece band: three percussionists and a guitarist/singer. With their trance-like groove and folk melodies, the musicians provided an authentic Brazilian musical backdrop for Ginga.