International Festival Review: Grupo Corpo

Megan Amato enjoys this rhythmic dance performance by Brazilian Grupo Corpo.

★★★★

Brazilian Grupo Corpo are a magnetic dance force, their rhythmic and fluid fusion style an optical illusion that pulls you to its centre. Their doubled-billed International Festival dance promised to bring the flair and flavour of the diverse Brazilian people.

Named after one of the ‘godfathers of Brazilian music’, ‘Gil Refazendo’ felt like a display of style and moves. Almost like a bird showing off for their perspective mates, dancers dressed in white showcased their tight kaleidoscopic repertoire to an ever-changing range of music – mostly instrumental.

There wasn’t a noticeable narrative that connected each segment but rather a freedom of movement that flows through each dancer to the next. Sunflowers bloomed on screen behind the dancers, so our interconnection with nature may have been the theme.

You can forgive me for wondering at the end of the first half if I had seen everything this undoubtedly tightly choreographed but slightly monotonous dance had to offer. Boy, was I wrong.

‘Gira’ was a much more riveting piece. The tempo less repetitive. The dancers swayed on stage in only flowing white skirts and red painted necks. Their movements were no less fluid than the previous set, but it felt like they had a direction. A place to be. Dancers appeared from shadows on stage as if by magic and it took me a moment to realise that they were disguised in black mesh before it was their time to sashay on stage.

The programme stated that this piece is inspired by the ‘rhythms and movements inspired by the rites of Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda’ and those influences do come through in the way the dancers move on stage and through the music with occasional singing and chanting.

There was a moment where the performers seem to move as one, like a beating heart where each dancer and gesture worked together in unison to create rhythm and movement that was choreographed absolutely beautifully by Rodrigo Pederneiras.

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