GRUPO CORPO at the Edinburgh International Festival

★★★★★

“you will leave taking the beauty, the energy and the joy that is part of everything that this extraordinary company does”

Grupo Corpo is a Brazilian dance company that draws on both classical ballet and contemporary dance rooted in African folk traditions. The company has been in operation for an impressive fifty years, and during that time have produced ground breaking work that transcends the times and the cultures it springs from. The current show, now at the Edinburgh Playhouse, and part of the Edinburgh International Festival, is absolutely unmissable. The company of twenty two dancers, dancing to music by Gilberto Gil and Metá Metá, with choreography by Rodrigo Paderneiras, transports us into a world that is warm and inclusive.

The first half of Grupo Corpo’s programme is Gil Refazendo, a dance reinterpretation of Gilberto Gil’s music. It’s a tribute to the life and work of artist and former politician Gil whose music has been influenced by not only Brazilian popular music and samba, but rock, jazz and reggae. Grupo Corpo take this rich combination of influences and turn it into a forty minute piece than begins with a lone figure on stage, in a flowing white shirt, echoing the smooth rhythms of the music. A backdrop on stage provides various projections. The most distinctive being a sunflower that gradually opens and then pulls back to reveal a huge field of these exuberant blooms. As the dance progresses, more and more dancers enter on stage, sometimes alone, or in pairs, or in groups—the moves are like jazz. They begin simply enough but gain in complexity and dissonance as each dancer performs what looks like an improvisation. But as the moves continue, the dissonance resolves into a shared choreography, each dancer distinct but part of the group. The dancers use their bodies to glide and jerk, roll and step. It’s enormously energetic, and mesmerizing. Time seems dreamlike as dancers move on and off the performance space, until all are finally present, filling the stage, and bringing Gil Refazendo to a satisfying close.

The second piece, Gira, (the Portuguese word for spin) is an aptly named tribute to all forms of dance that involves spinning. With music by Metá Metá, a Brazilian jazz band who combine as many diverse musical traditions as Gilberto Gil, all the dancers, regardless of gender, are dressed alike in white skirts that are especially well made for spinning. (Costume designs by Freusa Zechmeister).Girá is just as energetic and athletic a piece as the first half of Grupo Corpo’s show. And although the taller, stronger dancers do lift their partners from time to time, there is no other dance move that is not performed by all genders. Grupo Corpo may take some of its moves from classical ballet, but everyone participates regardless. Gira is energetic, joyful, moving both with the music, and to unseen rhythms of its own. Once again, the piece gathers in energy and momentum throughout the forty minutes of performance. This time there is no backdrop but simply a performance space that is edged on three sides in black, apart from a line of lights, above the dancers’ heads. When their particular set is complete, the dancers retire to the edges, sit down and literally merge into the dark. It’s a clever piece of set design by Paulo Pederneiras that allows the dancers to catch a momentary rest. When they return to the dance, the energy and momentum gather again for a breathtaking finale.

Grupo Corpo will hold your attention without difficulty for the whole show. You will wish it could never end. But when it does, you will leave taking the beauty, the energy and the joy that is part of everything that this extraordinary company does. See this show while you can.

GRUPO CORPO at the Edinburgh International Festival – Edinburgh Playhouse

Reviewed on 5th August 2024

by Dominica Plummer

Photography by Andrew Perry

GRUPO CORPO

GRUPO CORPO

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