As well as the opportunity to pay tribute to Gil on his 80^th birthday in 2022, the decision to start from scratch was reinforced by the radical transformation the world – and Brazil in particular – underwent during this period. “We decided on the idea of a renaissance, a remaking, a replanting, a rebuilding,” continues Paulo. “Gilberto Gil, with his metaphysical thinking, his ideas and his deep-rooted environmental activism, became a perfect interpretation of the need to rebuild what has been devastated, to put right what has been allowed to collapse.”

The soundtrack propels a high-intensity show. “Music is like a mighty river, with a strong current,” says choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras. “I embraced this dynamic, with large groups on stage, instead of a prevalence of duos and trios. And there's no floor – the energy rises upwards." Even in the finale, in which the music deviates from the usual direction towards a climax and opts for a slowing down, the strength of the movements “pulls it upwards”, says Rodrigo. A single, enchanting, exception remains in the reconstructed choreography: Mari's samba – a solo by dancer Mariana do Rosário, in the reinterpretation of the Gil song Aquele Abraço.

The scenography is supported by a minutely shifting background image. “These are magnified images of sunflowers slowly coming back to life,” says Paulo Pederneiras. “We made an uninterrupted, fifteen-day recording of the transformation of live flowers into withered plants; in the onstage projection, we reversed the process. The audience watches life returning, at first without realizing what is happening, then, at the end, explicitly understanding”. Dressed in raw linen – female dancers in shirts over a two-piece knitted outfit, male dancers in casual pants and shirts – the performers dance under a “simple white” light, says Paulo.

On the 38-minute soundtrack, phrases and themes from Gilberto Gil songs such as Aquele Abraço, Realce, Tempo Rei, Andar com Fé, Toda Menina Baiana, Sítio do Pica-Pau Amarelo, Raça Humana emerge – reworked, but in perfectly recognizable variations. The arch of the soundtrack includes four themes, or four musical environments, in the composer's own definition: an instrumental chorus; a chamber-style approach (with inspiration “in Brahms or Satie”, he says); a third section of improvisational freedom and, finally, an abstract construction based on geometric figures. “Circle, triangle, rectangle, pentagon, the return to the circle and finally dissolution in a straight line,” explains Gilberto Gil.

In the arrangements, ancestral drums and electronic distortions alternate; the afoxé¹ and the jazzy woodwind section; the modinha² and the berimbau³. These echoes dance among themselves, intertwining and dialoguing as the music progresses through the arch of the soundtrack. “The closing of the soundtrack also includes a concrete poem recited by Gil, where the five letters of BODY (CORPO) unfold into CRAVO (CARNATION), CEDRO (CEDAR), FLORA (FLORA), PALCO (STAGE), PERNA (LEG), BRAÇO (ARM), PEDRA (STONE). “Listening to the final result, I realized that there are many elements to my rhythmic dimensions, elements of Bahia, of Afro- Bahian music,” concludes the composer.

1 Afro-Brazilian musical instrument composed of a gourd wrapped with a net threaded with beads.

2 a type of sentimental love song

3 a single-string percussion instrument or musical bow, originally from Africa

But it is Eshu who guides and stages the show as its driving force. In African cosmology, Eshu represents the dynamic principle, without which all would be static; it is the messenger between the spiritual world and the material world; a god of infinite expansion and multiplication, lord of all paths and crossroads, the master of all order and confusion.

Metá Metá (“three at the same time”, in Yoruba), formed by Juçara Marçal (voice), Thiago França (sax), and Kiko Dinucci (guitar) – alongside Sergio Machado (drums, sampler, and percussion) and Marcelo Cabral (electric and acoustic bass) – wrote eleven pieces specifically for the dance performance. Eshu, the most human of the orishas – without whom, in the

African-matrix religions, the cult just does not work – is the poetic reason that inspires and guides the eleven pieces created by Metá Metá for Gira. The soundtrack features two special guests: poet, essayist, and artist Nuno Ramos, and vocalist Elza Soares.

In order to follow the theme suggested by Metá Metá, the creators of Grupo Corpo first dove into the universe of Afro-Brazilian religions through literature and then through a field study, visiting Candomblé and Umbanda terreiros (sites of worship in Candomblé). Umbanda stood out in this process because it is the most syncretic and Brazilian of religions. In the end, Gira shaped itself as a poetic view of man’s primordial need to connect with the divine or simply with the occult.

The set design uses a black linoleum “square” (13m X 9m), brightly lit, demarcating the stage area where the gira will take place, in a symbolic representation of a terreiro¹, the great icon of Afro-Brazilian liturgy. On both sides and at the bottom of the stage, where the quick change rooms are usually located, traditionally invisible to the audience, 21 chairs are placed in an area immersed in the shadows, forming a semi-arena. On each chair, a faint light indicates an incorporeal presence. The non-scenario was designed as an installation by Paulo Pederneiras, which covers the bodies of the dancers with the same black tulle whenever they are off the set, transforming them into spirits. And the three walls of the black box create the illusion of an almost ghostly eternity.

Right at the beginning of the spectacle, a group of seven dancers occupies the center of the stage. They have their hands crossed on the left side of their hips, eyes closed, their upper bodies dangling over themselves as they form loose circles; everything about them suggests they are in a trance. This introduces the volatile character of the rest of the show.

If you think that you are going to watch a mimetic representation of Afro-Brazilian cults, you’d better think twice. Inspired by his experience in celebration rituals of both Candomblé and Umbanda (particularly the Eshu’s giras), Rodrigo Pederneiras (re)produces the powerful variety of gestures and movements that he had access to, masterfully merging it with his extensive vocabulary developed over thirty years as the choreographer for GRUPO CORPO.

Group formations (usually with seven dancers) are recurrent, intercalated by brief trios, duos or solos. Performed to the sound of an eminently rhythmic track, two great melodic moments give way to the materialization of imperious female solos, danced to the voice of instruments that are equally lonely – the acoustic bass of Marcelo Cabral, in AgôLonan, and the tenor sax of Thiago França, in OkutaYangi I.

For the dancers, Freusa Zechmeister adopts the same language for the costumes of the entire cast, regardless of gender: naked torsos, with the other half of the body covered with primitive-cut white skirts and raw fabric.

1 A site of worship in Candomblé and Umbanda

Founded in 1975, Grupo Corpo’s very first work, Maria, Maria, with music by Brazilian singer/songwriter Milton Nascimento and choreography by Argentinian Oscar Araiz, was so beloved it spent six years in repertory and toured to 14 nations. The company’s name, which literally translates to “body group,” signifies the founding family’s innate connection not to the individual but to the collective: the family of brothers and sisters, sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews, along with the dancers and artists who join together creating beloved performances.

Capturing the unique way Brazilians move has been Rodrigo’s career-long endeavor as company choreographer: “I think we have a special way of dancing—some sensuality—maybe because of tropics or the parties in the streets. When you see people dancing…This is just wow! Fantastic!” It’s more than complex footwork and undulating hips, articulated torsos and arms, percussion and syncopated rhythms. For Pederneiras, the root of Brazil’s dance culture is borne from the admixture of European, indigenous and African cultures residing together, not as neighbors but as family. And the heartbeats of these three cultures have become the music and dance of Brazil, cementing a people across centuries and oceans, in the wake of colonization and enslavement, into a unified music- and dance-loving nation. “Slowly we came to create a way to move that is our own,” Rodrigo explained about Grupo Corpo’s unique choreographic voice that speaks about and for Brazilian identity.

While the word gira (pronounced ji-rah) translates into English as “to turn,” or better, “to gyrate,” the choreography for Gira reconceives the rituals Pederneiras learned and still follows today into a universal vision of humanity. “Gira is when they start to go into the trance,” he said. “They turn, turn, turn…in a very, very small space—30, 40 people turning, jumping…, and they don’t touch each other. It doesn’t matter how long they stay in this trance but they don’t touch.” He continued, “The first time I saw this, I didn’t believe it. It’s impossible. It’s beautiful. And now I’m a part of this. I changed my life after my 60s because of Umbanda.”

University of California PhD candidate in ethnomusicology Mariangela Nobre has studied syncretic worship and music and dance practices in Brazil. She noted, “Brazil was the country in Latin America with the highest number of African slaves. African culture was very predominant, particularly in the state of Bahia where the Afro-diasporic religion Candomblé was practiced, and eventually became popular all over Brazil. Candomblé derives from the West African spiritual practices of many diverse groups of slaves coming to Brazil and sharing their beliefs with each other. Compared to North America where slaves’ gatherings and drumming were mostly forbidden, the African slaves in Brazil were able to retain more of their rituals and their music. This contributed to the preservation of African traditions and religions” in Brazil.

Other religious practices stemmed from Candomblé, among them Umbanda, officially founded in the early 1900s in Brazil. Umbanda is also influenced by Catholicism, French spiritism and indigenous beliefs. While Candomblé has ancient roots, which trace back to the Yoruba and Bantu peoples in Africa, it is also currently practiced by Brazilian expatriate communities around the world.

“In both religions,” Nobre said, “the gira is a sacred space, a circle of mediums, drums and practitioners, which creates the connection with spiritual entities. While in Candomblé the participants of the gira enter a trance state to contact the orixas, in Umbanda the mediums call their spirit guides. Spirits and orixas are two different types of entities—the orixas are not human souls, they are representations of the forces of nature. In fact, they evoke a great variety of spirits who have specific lessons to teach us. For instance, the archetype of indigenous warriors, known as caboclos, teach us to be brave and to be in harmony with nature. The spirits of the pretos velhos, who [represent] old Black slaves, teach us about resilience and strength.”

Beyond the belief systems, the rituals of both religions are centered on music and dance. Nobre studied the movements within these practices. “There are specific signs that Umbanda members will recognize,” she said. “For instance, when they dance for the orixas, each orixa has a unique character expressed by specific drum rhythms and dance steps. For example, Ọya (or Iansã), is the orixa of the wind, and you will see people dance for Ọya moving their hands up high to mimic the wind. Xango [pronounced Shango] is the orixa of fire, strength and justice. He has a very masculine presence; thus the songs and drum rhythms would be very powerful, along with the dance. Oxóssi is the orixa of the forest and he is a hunter, so in Umbanda when people dance to evoke him, they will mimic the gesture of a bow and an arrow.”

The commissioned score for Gira comes from Sao Paulo band Metá Metá, which fuses jazz, punk, rock, samba and Candomblé rhythms and riffs in an entrancing mélange. Pederneiras has not exclusively turned to Brazilian music, though. In his earlier years as a choreographer, he featured classical and contemporary composers, among them Bach, Mozart and 20th-century masters like Rio de Janeiro-born classical composer Heitor Villa-Lobos and American minimalist Philip Glass. “Then we started to think, ‘How could we be a Brazilian dance company, find a Brazilian way to move…the motives [in our work] would be Brazilian, but not the way we [were] dancing,” Rodrigo said. “We dipped in our backyard to know how the popular parties, the street parties and dances” sounded and looked. From there, he began in earnest to capture the verdant landscape of Brazilian music and dance cultures in his works.

Rodrigo encapsulates in dance another side of his beloved country with Gil, an homage to popular songs of singer/songwriter and politician Gilberto Gil, founder of what’s called the Tropicália movement in music. Its sound defines a slice of modern Brazil. “Gil,” the choreographer said, “creates a sound with many, many music quotes from Gil…. It’s a piece that is so important for us [Brazilians]. The idea is the show could build slowly into a kind of union, or rapprochement. Now Gilberto Gil is 81. What I tried to do was start with a more aggressive dynamic with few people. Then it can grow and I slow…becoming more smooth, more soft. We create a big hug between all the dancers in the company.”

Together, Gira and Gil share two faces of Brazil: it’s syncretic, multicultural roots and its modern, forward-moving inventiveness.

While the success of Maria Maria was still reverberating throughout Brazil and in various European and Latin American countries, Grupo Corpo (literally Body Group in English) never stopped working, staging no less than six productions between 1976 and 1982. In the first phase of the group´s existence, the influence of Araiz, who in 1980 would write O Último Trem, was evident in varying degrees in the dance troupe’s work. However, the company´s distinctive features and personality were chiefly molded by Paulo Pederneiras, the man responsible for sets and lighting the group´s performances and its artistic direction and the dancer Rodrigo Pederneiras, who left the stage in 1981 to assume the role of full-time choreographer.

In 1985, the company launched what would be its second great success: Prelúdios, a theatrical piece incorporating twenty-four Chopin preludes interpreted by pianist Nelson Freire. The show debuted to public and critical acclaim at the First International Dance Festival of Rio de Janeiro and would cement the group´s reputation in the world of contemporary Brazilian dance.

Grupo Corpo then entered a new phase, establishing its own unique theatrical language and choreography. Starting with an erudite repertoire featuring the works of Richard Strauss, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Edward Elgar, among others, the company began combining classical technique with a contemporary re-reading of popular Brazilian dance forms. This would become the group´s trademark.

In 1989 the company debuted Missa do Orfanato, a complex theatrical reading of Mozart´s Missa Solemnis k.139. Almost operatic in dimensions, this ballet became such an esthetic triumph that, nearly two decades later, it remains in the company´s repertoire.

The group underwent a radical transformation three years later with the production of 21, a ballet which confirmed the uniqueness of Rodrigo Pederneiras´s choreography and the unmistakable persona of the dance troupe. Utilizing the singular sounds of Brazilian instrumental group Uakti, as well as ten themes composed by Marco Antônio Guimarães, 21 leaves behind the group´s preoccupation with technical form and sees it taking apart melodies and rhythms in order to explore their underlying ideas. The decision to once again use specifically composed scores – a mark of the group´s first three shows in the 1970s – allowed it to further explore the language of popular Brazilian dance.

In the work that followed, Nazareth (1993), Rodrigo Pederneiras´s fascination with traversing the worlds of both popular and erudite music found a perfect opportunity for fuller expression. Inspired by the verbal games of Brazilian literary icon Machado de Assis (1839-1908) and by the works of Ernesto Nazareth (1863-1934), a seminal figure in the formation of Brazilian popular music, the work was scored by composer and literary theorist José Miguel Wisnik. Though built on a solid, classical foundation, the production brought together in good-humored fashion the light-hearted and sensual elements inherent Brazilian popular dances.

The partnership of Grupo Corpo with contemporary authors has been such a success that scores composed especially for the company have become the norm, and each score has inspired a new creation. An exception came in 2004 with the production of Lecuona, a work that drew on thirteen love songs by the Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona (1895-1963) and in which Rodrigo Pederneiras demonstrated his gift for the creation of pas- de- deux.

Beginning in the mid-1990s, Grupo Corpo intensified its international touring. Between 1996 and 1999, it was the resident dance company of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon, France. Several of the group´s creations (Bach, Parabelo and Benguelê) were first staged in Europe over this period.

Today, having created more than 40 choreographies, the Brazilian dance company gives performances in places as distinctive as Iceland and South Korea, the United States and Lebanon, Italy and Singapore, the Netherlands and Israel, France and Japan, Canada and Mexico.

The minimalism of Philip Glass, the vigorous pop and urban sounds of Arnaldo Antunes the primordial experimentalism of Tom Zé, the African sensibility of João Bosco, the metaphysical verse of Luís de Camões and Gregório de Mattos with the light touch of Caetano Veloso and Wisnik, the rootsy modernity of Lenine, the sound diversity of Moreno, Domenico and Kassin, the contemporary vision of Martin Codax’s medieval songs by Carlos Núñez and José Miguel Wisnik, the pop style of Samuel Rosa, the musical genius of Gilberto Gil, Grupo Corpo has drawn on all of these elements and more to produce shows of a very diverse character – cerebral, cosmopolitan, primitive, existential, tough – while always keeping in sight the company´s distinctive traits.