Rio de Janeiro – Brasil
They come from Brasil, more precisely from Rio de Janeiro. Companhia Urbana de Danca is made of people born and raised in the poorest neighbourhood of Rio: the favelas. Places defined by poverty and degradation, where drug trafficking, violence and prostitution are the only chances of surviving.
Sonia Destri
Luckily, to sadness and desperation there can be an alternative. In this case, the “alternative”’s name is Sonia Destri, a young Brasilian dance choreographer who after having spent 10 years away from Rio de Janeiro, decided to go back.
Once back she gets to know some guys from the favelas and she discovers that they have something in common: the passion for dance. After having met the guys, Sonia decides she can’t leave them and since then they have put together many shows, that have taken them around the world, Paris, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo and many more places. They have travelled the world, discovered different cities but their home is and always wiil be in Rio’s favelas. The area is not safe for a girl, it’s too dangerous to be out at night and that’s why all the dancers of this dance company are male.
Our legs are in Rio, our head is in all the world
In their MySpace page this is what they have written: This “companhia” is an urban way of socializing that has invented a new form of choreography and language that articulates through a specific vocabulary.
Our work is inspired by Braziliancultural tradition and to the most contemporary urban dance trends. Our legs are in Rio, our heads are in Los Angeles and our long arms extend from New York to Tokyo.
We mix free style with break-dance and sensual and emotional movements typical of samba. Street spirit enterwined with all the dancers different cultural backgrounds”.
Photogallery
Companhia Urbana de dança
http://www.myspace.com/sonia_destri