Grupo Corpo are one of Brazil’s leading contemporary dance companies. Established by brothers Rodrigo and Paulo Pederneiras in Belo Horizonte in 1975, the company has become internationally renowned for its typically Brazilian creations that combine classical ballet techniques with elements from Brazil’s popular music and dance. No strangers to the UK, last year Grupo Corpo made their debut at the Edinburgh Festival, with The Guardian commenting “It is the sheer physical virtuosity of the company that is so impressive – the sinuous, athletic bodies seemingly inexhaustible.” Continue Reading

In recent decades we have noticed a significant increase in the production of fiction films and documentaries featuring capoeira. To be honest, the presence of capoeira in motion pictures of all sorts is nothing new, even though, in the past, it had been mostly limited to national productions and correlated to other themes of Afro-Brazilian culture. Continue Reading

Following a sell-out tour with last year’s Roundhouse Circusfest 2010, Circolombia’s return with Urban saw the circus troupe tantelise their audience with an extravaganza of acrobatics, dance routines and dare-devil stunts. Continue Reading

Brazilian dance choreographer and Jungle collaborator Mafê Toledo shares her thoughts on a sense of belonging, migration and personal boundaries both in London and in her latest performance piece.

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Created by African slaves in Brazil, capoeira combines the balance and flexibility of acrobatics with the grace and strength of dance, the speed and cunning of fighting and the rhythm of music into a powerful harmony Continue Reading

As no doubt many JD readers are fully aware, forró is that slightly lesser known Latin American partner dance (salsa being arguably the most popular and practised), which is fuelled by the characterful sounds of the accordion and the triangle. Continue Reading

Jungle heads out into the field to find the best tips from the world of dance in London

“I got married at forró”, says Aruna de Oliveira Costa. Her statement might sound weird at first, but it represents how something first tried as a matter of curiosity can evolve into a hobby and become an important part of someone’s life – or even to mark the consecration of a relationship, as happened with Aruna. ‘’I went to Brazil on holiday in 2003 and started practicing capoeira. Then I was introduced to forró. I now come here ever since it opened’’. By ‘here’, Aruna’s referring to Forró do Galpão, the weekly party which goes down at Corbet Place on Brick Lane. And that’s where she met her husband. ‘’The place is now part of my life, so when Juca and I decided to get married we chose to celebrate here after the ceremony in Brazil, and the organisers threw us a party’’, she says, in an almost perfect Portuguese, with a little Minas Gerais twang. Continue Reading

Samba
The ultimate symbol of the identity of Brazilian music, samba bears roots in African dances and was developed from Bahian samba rodas (in a round), with the Afro-Brazilian style frequently associated to capoeira. Part of Brazilian Cultural Heritage, samba as it is widely known today was born in Rio, in 1917, and from this came spin-off variations of the style such as samba de gafiera, partido alto and pagode. The essential sound is basically made with string and percussive instruments. Continue Reading

The insatiable mind behind Brazil’s largest contemporary dance company, Deborah Colker speaks to Jungle about the building of her career and her new show, Cruel

Perseverance and a lot of energy. These are, without a doubt, two of the most defining traits in the personality of Deborah Colker. The Rio-born dancer of Jewish Russian descent started out with ballet, learnt piano and went on to play volleyball, turning professional in the latter, before deciding to return to dance. Continue Reading