“We cannot control anything else, so at least we control our body,” says Luiz de Abreu, winner of the 18th Festival grand prize. Using Stanislaw Ponte Preta’s song Samba do Crioulo Doido as a starting point, the dancer discusses how his piece attempts to show how black people are – unlike what the song says – capable of shaping themselves and the History of which they are a part. Acknowledging the piece’s autobiographical character, he describes himself as someone who is in Brazil’s “entrails,” not for patriotic reasons, but simply because he recognizes an inevitable relationship of belonging. He considers that falling silent in the face of this fact would also be a way to position oneself, and therefore he would rather appropriate himself of his country and try to shape it in his own way. Regarding the humor contained in his work, he tells of how it arises spontaneously, since Brazilians are wise in dealing with their own tragedies. He also touches on the experience of performing in a space dedicated to the visual arts, and on his relationship with the Festival.
- More about Luiz de Abreu in Collection
- Further info on O Samba do Crioulo Doido in Collection