Grupo Corpo

Trailblazing dance company Grupo Corpo are renowned for their hybrid approach to contemporary dance, which melds contemporary choreography with Brazil’s rich tradition of dance.

Indeed, tonight’s first piece, Parabelo, delves right into the heart of Brazilian folk identity. Inspired by the artistic and religious traditions of Bahia in north-east Brazil, Grupo Corpo’s 21-strong dance troupe begin lying flat on the stage. Every so often, legs are flexed and elevated, creating a huge spider-like figure, a crawling mass of limbs moving in perfect unison. Each dancer is costumed in striking skin-tight red unitards, gloriously displaying every sinew of every muscle required to bring the piece alive. The act proceeds to showcase a breathtaking fusion of popular Brazilian dance, including samba, forro and capoeira, with contemporary dance and more classical styles, all realised with an effortless complicity.   

Where Parabelo foregrounds the technical versatility of the dancers, second act Onqoto is a more probing, narrative-driven piece drawing on the legendary rivalry between Flamengo and Fluminese, two of Brazil’s most prestigious football clubs. Using football as a playful metaphor for man's enduring existential quandaries proves a particularly fruitful artistic frame. In particular, the paradoxical interdependence needed to sustain such an intense rivalry is beautifully brought to life in a set of juxtaposed duets, where two dancers intimately entangle and tussle in a failed attempt to break free from each other’s grasp.   

Together both pieces gloriously demonstrate Grupo Corpo’s abilities. While every dancer is classically strong, their movements display a certain rhythmical freedom as their hips sashay and sway, making every moment a sensual treat.