Grupo Corpo
Published 25th Apr 2005 by Eric

Review: Brazilian Grupo Corpo

Direct from Brazil comes a unique and awesomely talented team. Still going strong after three decades, Grupo Corpo from Brazil is one of four international companies touring the UK in May and June 2005 and of course Grupo Corpo had to pay a visit to Brighton.

Grupo Corpo took the Brighton audience on a marvellous journey. It was a delicious excursion, travelling far away from the grey winter that has been slowly enveloping the city, winding its way down to the balmy climes south of the equator. Like warm ocean surf, Grupo Corpo's works wash over you in inviting waves.

Combining amazing physical athleticism, stunning visual image and breathtakingly joyous choreograph, Grupo Corpo makes the hottest dance in the coolest way. While Grupo Corpo's love of music is not surprising, its training techniques are. The choreography is a spicy amalgam of influences--ballet, modern dance, traditional folk dance, samba, African-based forms, even hip hop. Grupo Corpo has some very mesmerizing segments where you find yourself being inextricably absorbed in the trancelike landscape of languid, fluid bodies.

One section has three women moving upstage in tandem in a series of long, rippling movements that flow from side to side, back and forth across the stage. Watching this continually repeated sequence becomes a hypnotic experience. A square of light follows them from behind, expounding on the spellbinding effect. There is little else to do but be drawn in. Dancing, dipping, diving and soaring, Grupo Corpo are here to make your heart leap. A visit is a must if you fancy something different from the usual!

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