Photo credit Toddy Holland
Augusto Soledade, artistic director, choreographer and founder of Brazzdance has a unique choreographic voice. He creates movement with a rich simplicity that is easy to watch and has a strong message. In last Saturday's performance of Augusto Soledade Brazzdance (ASBD) at the Arsht Center's Carnival Theater hips shook, legs swirled and shoulders shimmied with Soledade's signature Afro-Brazilian flavor to create the four pieces on the just long enough program.
Photo credit Carlos Di Roberto Martinez'.
Entering the theater revealed silvery mylar balloons suspended across the stage as if frozen in time in a magical forest. As the percussive music began, dancers entered the stage one by one picking up the raw tribal language in a playful and joyous manner.
The new piece was called "Think Blue," a Nigerian tale inspired by the children's book, "Why the Sky is Far Away." Dancers navigated the balloons, which later became even taller, just as the balance between ambitions, resources and sustainability are navigated. At one point Manuela Sanchez romped with all of the balloons attached to her back, never seeming to be distracted with the appendages while weaving in, under and around her frolicsome tail. Shaky knees and shimmery shoulders reflected the xylophone and percussive rhythms. The new work was created specifically to promote literature through dance for children, and was a peaceful and happy start for the evening.
"Diaries of an Outlaw" from 2004 started with a fiery tempo in a series of vignettes that revealed the life challenges of an outlaw. Amanda Ruiz, Bruno Jacques-Louis, Sanchez and Raina Mitchell were pensive and mature in contemporary athletic vocabulary. The difficulties seemed universal as daily activities were questionable, support was random and longing was consistent. A table over a slithering Sanchez evoked stifling, boxed in suppression. Soledade had a dry humor in his tale.
Photo credit Carlos Di Roberto Martinez'.
A heart break was the inspiration for "Turn the Page of this Book," a solo for Sanchez to use dance as a way to sooth her soul and move on. Everyday actions were difficult, emotions reeked out of every move. A kitchen was the setting where daily acts became mundane, food was torture like the heat of an onion. And eat an onion she did. There was anger and there was angst, all clearly seen in her body language. The final slap of the closing book was a grateful sign of moving on.
Photo credit Carlos Di Roberto Martinez'.
The full ensemble of five were in the Miami premiere of "Some Things Revealed," a fun and easy creation with a jazzy flare. Originally commissioned by Tampa based Moving Current Dance Collective, the organic and earthy vocabulary blended the qualities of MCDC with Soledade's Brazilian rhythm to create a joyous piece that showcased each dancer in playful and lively jaunts.
Photo credit Carlos Di Roberto Martinez'.
ASBD is a company that works only a part of the year. It would be a positive step for the community if they could operate from Fall through the Spring offering master classes, performances and expanding its relationship with the younger community on a more full-time basis.
