Brazilian Vibes
“Primavera” / “Breu”
Grupo Corpo
Forum Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg, Germany
March 18, 2023
by Ilona Landgraf
Copyright © 2023 by Ilona Landgraf
If there’s one thing to be associated with Brazilian dancers, it’s that dance and rhythm course through their blood. Grupo Corpo, one of the oldest contemporary Brazilian troupes, is currently touring Europe – and they offered a sample of their country’s dance spirit last weekend in Ludwigsburg. The double bill presented at the Ludwigsburg Forum was comprised of two works by Rodrigo Pederneiras, the chief choreographer of the company and brother of its founder Paulo.
“Primavera” – which translates to “spring” in Portuguese – was Pederneira’s 2021 antidote to the pain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Joie de vivre and the proverbial bright side – that’s what he hoped to re-invigorate in his audiences, and that’s what radiates from his twenty dancers – eleven women and nine men. They hop, bounce, and twirl through a seamless succession of solos, duets, and group dances, swerving from cool and casual to fiery and dynamic. (more…)