Edinburgh International Festival 2024
Gruppo Corpo Dance Company
Gruppo Corpo
Genre: Music, Musical Theatre
Venue: Edinburgh Playhouse
Festival: Edinburgh International Festival
Low Down
Lowdown: Two dance premieres came to the Edinburgh International Festival last night from Brazil. Gruppo Corp has a large team of energetic and skilled dancers who performed beautifully. There was a lack of dramatic build and variety in the choreography, but the flawless dancers are to be commended.
Review
The elegantly formal Edinburgh Playhouse housed the energetic Brazilian dance company, Gruppo Corpo in last night’s performance of two UK premieres, both by the choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras. In Gil Refazendo, a homage to the dulcet-voiced Gilberto Gil, about twenty five dancers moved in a continuum of joyous, free and undulating motion. Mostly group choreography for small overlapping groups, it was notable for the beautiful synchronicity of the dancers, and the relentless pace of motion driven by an electronic sound-track. Fluid and undulating spines alternated with energized kicks and feet beating the ground. The work felt like one continuously joyful dance, in ever-changing groupings. The performers (both men and women) wore white baggy clothing that accentuated the uniformity and changeability of the groups. The joyous unanimity was broken only towards the end by a partnering of two semi-clad dancers in a series of dance lifts that swung with energy into acrobatic partnering work. The standard of the dancers was uniformly high, and their flexibility and stamina unmatched. Oddly the music by Gilberto Gil did not celebrate his multi-instrumental singing and song-writing with a samba flavor, but rather a driving electronic beat. Although the dancing was laudatory, there was no climax, or sense of build. Rather the work was a continuum of dancers in perpetual motion, and the internal logic of the dance got lost in the showmanship. The second piece of the program Gira, drews on rhythms and movements inspired by the rites of Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda, and was notable for creating atmosphere, a sense of mystery and a sense of meaning. In Gira the white skirted dancers with bare torsos and red painted necks, slowly rose out of the blackness to participate in what felt like a significant ritual of possession. The dancers spun and whirled with expertise, but now there were pauses and moments that felt truly embodied, of dancers taken over by the spirits summoned by the group. There were strong images in Gira, a sense of the spirit world as women were shaken like spineless dolls, relinquishing control over their bodies, and dancers one by one joined out of the black curtained void at the back of the stage to spin in what felt like ritualistic evocation. The music by Metá Metá’s was part of the ritual, a rhythm and beat that was driving the action, sometimes frightening, and always present and changeable.
In summary, without consistent theatricality or dramatic build the evening felt a bit long and the choreography a bit repetitive, (although moments in Gira had real impact). However the evening was redeemed by uniformly skillful performance by the excellent company. The audience appreciated the performance. This is a VERY GOOD SHOW.
