In October I was invited to create a solo for ‘Discordia’, “A distinctive new immersive show by Laura Brownhill, which blurs the realms of ‘art gallery’ and ‘theatre space’, fusing the disciplines of visual art, choreography and music composition.”
Three dancers and three pianists were invited to create work in response to 15 paintings created by the visionary Laura.
I created a two-part solo ‘Folhas Sagradas’ (Sacred Leaves). This improvised performance explores personal connections with themes I found the paintings; communion with nature, movement and stillness, the colour green and the symbolism of leaves in Brazilian culture.
I found organic and circular patterns in the paintings which connect strongly with my own way of creating and moving, following the energy flow, as a movement meditation, searching for moments of connection, of peace, of freedom.
Watch the whole show in 360 below!
Folhas Sagradas starts at 17.12, don’t forget to click and drag to change your view of the space!
Back in May my company Movema hosted a masterclass with Brazilian artists Rosangela Silvestre and Alysson Bruno. As I was walking Rosangela around the local parks and gardens I picked up a leaf of wild garlic to show her and she said ‘Ah, the masterclass has already begun!’. The following day in the workshop she based the movement around the entity of Ossaian, an Orixa, a god from the Afro-Brazilian pantheon who is a herbalist and healer, who ‘knows all the leaves in the forest’. As I read more about this Orixa I began to find more connections with myself and my art.
When I came to create my response to the paintings some months later I began to envision a costume made of leaves, I later remembered the masterclass and realised that this connection was coming through in the work. I began to consciously explore Orixia movement and their archetypal characters to create ‘Folhas Sagradas’, bringing to life a journey from forest dwelling creature to embodied warrior viscerally exploding into the world or Discordia.
Another essential and sublime element to the performance was the spectacular soundtrack from Brazilian composer Fernando Falcão. A huge thank you to John Gomez who made it possible to use this incredible music. I had been dancing to it for a year or so and it inspired and released a lot of the creation of this work.
Amanhacer Tabajara and Curimão are from Memória Das Águas (1981) by Fernando Falcão. Amanhacer Tabajara appears on John Gomez’s acclaimed compilation Outro Tempo: Electronic And Contemporary Music From Brazil, 1978-1992 published by Music From Memory, 2017. Curimao appears on the forthcoming reissue of Memória Das Águas on Selva Discos album and is used in this show by permission of the family of Fernando Falcão.
My amazing costume was made by Rachel Treacher – master florist and Abii Twigg – master maker www.rubysparrowdesign.com.
Photos by Amina Bihi
Read a great review of the show here.
mariamalone 