A viagem the journey - dance

the journey
a viagem
                 filipa francisco

                 dance

© Joana Patita

©Joana Patita
                                                      © João Peixoto

as a choreographer and performer I am interested in

creating territories of questioning
making art accessible in improbable
places
allowing my work to mirror the world
deepening the relationship between art
and life
producing places of action, reflection and
resistance
generating discussion about dance as a
motor for change

filipa francisco

                             -1-

In 2009 Filipa was invited by the Ramallah Contemporary Dance
Festival to meet the El Fanoun Popular Dance Troupe.

Travelling with the group in Palestine,
watching their performances in small villages, I
became aware of the power of traditional
dance. It addresses extremely relevant issues
such as identity, gender and liberty. The act of
dancing, for these young people, was a cry of
freedom.
With the realisation that folk art has not been relegated to the
margins of modernity, her curiosity turned towards the social and
artistic practices embedded in the traditions of her own
environment. In 2011, she relocated her team to the village of
Riachos and joined the weekly rehearsals of the local folk dancers ‘Os
Camponenses’, a group fiercely proud of the historical accuracy of
their dances, costumes and social conventions. The mutual discovery
and recognition of two artistic practices resulted in a carefully
negotiated choreographic and musical score that bridges the divide
between traditional and contemporary art.

In 2012 this score is given nuance and colour in a residency with
Grupo Folclórico da Corredoura in a region known for the vitality of
its traditions. Following its premiere in Guimarães – European
Capital of Culture, the project continues to confront living heritage
and trajectories in contemporary art, decompartmentalising
practices and audiences in Portugal and abroad.

.

                                 -2-

                                                                         © Joana Patita

© João Peixoto

These fifty people, aged 10 to 80,
embarked on this journey with only their
experiences of traditional dance – not
one person among them had ever seen a
contemporary dance performance.
Nevertheless, they plunged into the
project with a great deal of pleasure. All
of a suddenly, the whole group was
participating in scenes we had planned for
only a few people. One of them said to
me: “We learn your steps and you learn
ours. But yours are connected with
imagination.” This project is a lovely
example of how the traditional and
contemporary worlds can touch and be
mutually enriching.
                   -3-

the journey on tour                                                     © Joana Patita

    I work from an idea of research based on
    the body and voice. I am attentive to the
    context and to the people with whom I
    work. Dramaturgy, composition and
    rehearsals take shape through free or
    thematic improvisation, as a whole group
    as well as individually. Technical and
    creative exercises yield what I call
    collective materials. These are transcribed
    in notebooks or stored in the memories of
    our bodies, to be re-examined at a later
    stage. The dramaturgy of the piece
    develops as we organise this collective
    material. I try to understand if the material
    tells a story or is abstract, what our
    intentions were and how it can be woven
    together. The presentation of this artistic
    object is in reality the convergence of a
    series of research processes.

    THE JOURNEY is continually recreated with local traditional dance
    and music groups. It involves a period of creative residency that
    culminates in a public performance permeated by the presentation
    context, local traditions and the people that embody them.

                                  -4-

Below is an outline of the process, to be adapted to the
particularities of each location.

SELECTION OF THE GROUP AND                      OTHER       CREATIVE
COLLABORATORS, REPERAGES (1 week)

We ask that the presenter compile a shortlist of 2 or 3 groups
interested in and available to participate in the project, according to
the following criteria: interest in the goals of the project and
openness towards the process, relevant performance history and
availability. The final selection is confirmed in a workshop led by
Filipa Francisco and composer António Pedro with each of the
shortlisted groups.

CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT (3-4 weeks)

The creation period is intense, with the artistic team working
together during the day and in the evening and on weekends with
the folk group. A minimum of 14 rehearsals with the group are
necessary to prepare the performance (for conventional stage).

PUBLIC PERFORMANCE

THE JOURNEY has been presented in several different contexts.
Originally conceived for a conventional theatrical space, it has also
taken the form of a street procession, with scenes on church steps
and overlooking balconies. In July 2012, THE JOURNEY is performed
along the Llandudno promenade in Wales, in the context of a larger
outdoor programme. Adapting the performance to the space and
context – proscenium stage or urban trajectory – is a challenge
welcomed by the creative team at each stop along this journey.

                                                        © João Peixoto

                                 -5-

Created with 'os Camponeses' of the Riachos
 folklore group, A VIAGEM summarises the
 truth of the country’s cultural borders and
 attempts to cross them, negotiating artistic
 conventions to produce something new.

                                                 press review
                                                                         )

                                                                             © João Peixoto

Filipa Francisco demonstrates her interest in choreographing ideas to
talk about people. For example, the slow change from everyday clothes
to traditional costumes highlights the ritual of dressing to dance and the
richness of gestures and precepts involved; sitting in chairs, men on one
side and women on the other express the separation between masculine
and feminine. The elevation of the material of theatrical dance to the
everyday reveals aspects of popular culture that care for and preserve
the choreographic and interpretative specificities of folk dances. The
hypothesis of assimilation was proven in a beautiful duet – a
contemporary choreography initiated by dancer David Marques that
incorporated a member of the folk group – or with the skilful
deconstruction of fandango tap dance, with different directions, paths,
and formations or new movements emerging from the original. In
addition to the commendable performance of the 27 dancers, the
appropriate costumes and the combination of daring and respect in the
staging, A VIAGEM stands out for António Pedro’s excellent
compositions, performed live with musicians from the folk group.

                             Paula Varanda (Público, October 2011)

                                  -6-

the journey

      Concept and artistic direction Filipa Francisco
      Assistant to the artistic director Pietro Romani
      Performers David Marques, Antónia Buresi and local folk dancers          © Joana Patita

      Costumes Ainhoa Vidal
      Music António Pedro
      Musicians António Pedro and local folk musicians
      Lighting design and technical direction Mafalda Oliveira
      Sound design Rui Dâmaso
      Executive producer Filipa Achega
      Production and tour management Materiais Diversos
      Co-produced by Mundo em Reboliço, Festival Materiais Diversos,
      Guimarães 2012 – European Capital of Culture, Teatro Virgínia
      Acknowledgements alkantara, RE.AL, Rancho Folclórico “Os
      Camponeses” de Riachos, Grupo Folclórico da Corredoura, Os
      Malmequeres de Lourosa, Rancho Folclórico e Etnográfico de Terras
      de Santa Maria (Rio Meão)
      This project received funding from Governo de Portugal–
      Secretario de Estado da Cultura/Direcção-Geral das Artes

      TOURING
      2012
      Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Festival Panorama, November TBD
      Coimbra (Portugal), Teatro Académico Gil Vicente, October 3
      Llandudno (Wales), Adain Avion (London 2012), July 14
      Santa Maria da Feira (Portugal),Festival Imaginarius, May 26-27
      Guimarães (Portugal), European Capital of Culture, Espaço ASA,
      March 16-17 (PREMIERE)

      2011
      Torres Novas (Portugal), Festival Materiais Diversos, Teatro Virgínia,
      October 22 (work in progress)

                                       -7-

FILIPA FRANCISCO studied at Escola Superior da Dança in Lisbon,
with the Trisha Brown Company and at the Lee Strasberg Institute in
New York and with dramaturge André Lepecki. She has worked with
the choreographers and directors Francisco Camacho, Vera Mantero,
Silvia Real, Madalena Vitorino, Rui Nunes, Aldara Bizarro, among
others. Recent production highlights include Leitura de Listas with
André Lepecki, Dueto created with Basque choreographer Idoia
Zabaleta, Para Onde Vamos?, part of the celebrations of the
Centenary of the Republic, and Vento & Pássaros for young
audiences. She has worked with prison inmates in Castelo Branco
(Project REXISTIR). In 2007/2008 she coordinated Nu Kre Bai Na Bu
Onda – a training and creation project in the Cova da Moura
neighbourhood that resulted in the performance Íman. Filipa
Francisco is associate artist at Materiais Diversos.

ANTONIO PEDRO is a percussionist, multi-instrumentalist and
filmmaker. He has composed music for films by Ivo M. Ferreira,
Margarida Leitão, Leonor Noivo, videos by Vasco Diogo and
performances by Le Luxe, Compagnie Sac a Dos, Turak, O Bando,
Teatro Serra de Montemuro, Colectivo SOPA and Miguel Abreu,
among others. He has performed live soundtracks for films by Buster
Keaton (Sherlock Jr.), Fédor Khitruk (Matinée), Oscar Fishinger, Hans
Ritcher and Robert Breer, film-concerts commissioned by
MONSTRA, Mediateca da GUARDA and Festival INDIE. He directed
Bigodes Band, inspired by Nino Rota’s music for Fellini. He has
played and recorded with Sérgio Pelágio, Sílvia Real, João Lucas,
João Afonso, Fernando Mota, Camané, Jon Luz, Clara Andermatt,
Filipa Francisco and Amélia Bentes, among others. He produced the
performance “Eu Só Quero Ser Aquilo Que Sou”, a transdisciplinary
project conceived at Nodar. He teaches at Chapitô and is part of a
project that takes music to children in hospitals and prisons.

MATERIAIS DIVERSOS is a non-profit cultural association led by
choreographer Tiago Guedes. Its work is motivated by the
understanding that culture and creativity are vehicles for
development. Materiais Diversos’s mission is to stimulate artistic
research and experimentation and to increase public receptiveness
to contemporary art. It works towards this goal by producing Festival
Materiais Diversos and the projects of its associate artists, promoting
their work in national and international circuits. Festival Materiais
Diversos is held annually in the municipality of Alcanena. Its
pluridisciplinary programme includes performances, exhibitions,
conferences, debates, workshops, professional meetings and
outdoor activities, encouraging dialogue and reflection about and
around contemporary art. Materiais Diversos is based at Espaço
alkantara in Lisbon.

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for more information, please contact:

           carla nobre sousa | tour management
           carla.sousa@materiaisdiversos.com
                     +351 938 414 488

                    Materiais Diversos
Calçada Marquês de Abrantes nº99, 1200-718 Lisboa, Portugal
                    +351 213 466 295
               www.materiaisdiversos.com

                                                              © João Peixoto

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