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| Ginga Brasileira Brings High-Energy Performance to Wesleyan released: 03/07/02 |
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| Ginga Brasileira, a high-energy, audience-pleasing ensemble, will perform on Tuesday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Wesley Chapel. They present a colorful, crowd-pleasing repertoire of Afro-Brazilian dances that fuse rhythmic music with high-energy gymnastics and martial arts. The artists display dazzling speed and flexibility as they perform breathtaking flips, jumps, handspins, and cartwheels. Performances include Capoeira, a lively mix of dance, gymnastics, and martial arts. This unique art form was developed by African slaves in Brazil in the 16th century. Equal parts dance and self defense, Capoeira is punctuated by fast footwork, daring leaps, and split-second timing. Capoeira (pronounced cap-o-ERA) does not have a strict set of rules. Rather, it is improvisational and spontaneous. It encourages individuality and allows the artist to use basic movements to create limitless variations. Capoeira is accompanied by music played on traditional instruments and songs in Portuguese. Ginga Brasileira also performs Maculele, a stick dance created by African slaves working on Brazilian sugarcane plantations, and Samba, the music that is the heart and soul of Carnival, Brazil's annual four-day festival. Master artist and teacher Efraim Silva is a former Brazilian national champion of Capoeira. Born in São Paulo, Silva began to practice Capoeira when he was thirteen. He has received numerous awards and certifications for his artistry and was selected for the Connecticut Commission on the Arts Master Teaching Artist Program and the New England Foundation for the Arts Touring Roster. Silva, who also founded Ginga Brasileira, studied under a Capoeira master for many years and grew into a gifted teacher with a passion for preserving the traditions. "The most beautiful part of it is the self-expression," he says. "Capoeira is spiritual, a way to get in touch with yourself and to learn to respect others." Today, Capoeira is flourishing, both in the United States and in its native land. As an athletic and competitive art in Brazil, it rivals the national sport, soccer, in popularity. Silva runs the Connecticut Capoeira Center, one of a growing number of Capoeira centers in the United States. Ginga Brasiliera has toured throughout the U.S. and internationally. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students, and free with Wesleyan ID. For more ticket information, please call 304-473-8037. This program is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval by the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. |