Viver Brasil

Thanks to Viver Brasil, the GP community became fully immersed in Brazilian culture this past Saturday. That immersion even included guided dance lessons and interactive art installations that captivated the audience. It was quite an audience at that - California Plaza was filled with a beautiful mix of longtime GP supporters and newcomers alike, many of Brazilian descent. Pockets of samba dancers and iconic green and yellow national colors were sprinkled throughout the crowd. DJ Muñeka kicked things off with an energetic mix of baile funk and hip hop mashups that got the people moving before Viver Brasil took the stage.

The overall mood of the evening was joyous, even as Viver Brasil’s message touched on serious topics like environmentalism and indigenous rights. That message was embodied in the music and dancing itself: the melodies, movement, and costumes drawing inspiration from the elements and the natural world. Bird chirps, rainfall, Capoeira that mimicked the movement of monkeys, and the divinity of pregnancy and childbirth were all motifs within Viver Brasil’s skillfully choreographed performance. One did not have to speak Portuguese to understand that this was a calling for all of humanity to have a deeper, more sustainable relationship with the natural world and its indigenous peoples. In fact, their art was so powerful precisely because these ideas were able to be communicated non-verbally.

The performance centered women. All the dancers and vocalists were female, and across several musical pieces they performed with fluidity, style and grace. Later, during two unforgettable highlights of the night, the cast reassembled into a thunderous 10-piece drum line that was fierce in its energy and tempo. This show defied expectations and really just needs to be seen to be fully appreciated (it’s now archived on our YouTube).

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Highly recommended for all!

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Sona Jobarteh