Leading Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo will return to LA Performing Arts Center after 14 years for three performances May 2–4.The company whose name means ‘body group’ in Portuguese will present two works 21 and Gira which blend classical ballet, folk traditions and bold choreography.
The program opens with Pederneiras’ 1992 groundbreaking work 21, a ballet divided into three movements that weave the company’s 22 dancers into rhythmic and timbral combinations of the number 21. Featuring a score by Marco Antônio Guimarães, the choreography moves with precision with a series of mesmerizing movements that blend the energy of Brazilian folk dances with the formality of classical ballet. The 40-minute piece amplifies the unique sounds of Guimarães’ unusual instrumental composition which culminates in a colorful, dynamic finale.
For Gira Pederneiras immersed himself in the history and practices of Brazil’s Afro-Brazilian religions, particularly Umbanda, transforming the characteristic the powerful gestures of Umbanda and Candomblé ceremonies nto a universal human expression. His choreography reconstructs the powerful gestures captures trance-like turning and movements as well as the raw and dizzying energy of their sacred rites. Set to eleven musical themes created specially for the company by Brazilian fusion group Metá Metá, Gira becomes a mesmerizing 40-minute piece of primal, ritualistic energy.
Artistic director Paulo Pederneiras founded the company in 1975 recruiting his siblings who included choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras. Grupo Corpo went on to become the resident dance company of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon, France from 1996–1999, and today, with over 40 works in its repertoire, the company has gained international acclaim for disciplined dancing by virtuoso dancers who seamlessly integrate disparate influences.
For more information and tickets, please visit musiccenter.org/grupocorpo or call (213) 972-0711.