The Sao Paulo Dance Company Arrives In Wolverhampton

One of the most exciting dance companies in the world arrived at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre today, bringing their own unique brand of sexy, sensuous dance with them. The Sao Paulo Dance company (presented by Dance Consortium) combine Brazilian heat with classical ballet styles in a frenetic and fabulous triple bill which shows why their arrival for their first tour of the UK has been so highly anticipated. If you are wondering where modern dance goes next, then step this way.

The triple bill begins with Anthem, which concerns life cycles and combines anthemic music that can become like a hymn to a generation. This dance felt like the most hard hitting of the three, with movement that seemed to anticipate and suggest both birth and death, particularly violent death in its final stages. I was struck by the uniformity and synchronicity of the piece, which is never less than flawless as they travel from one part of the routine to another.

Anthem is followed by Gnawa. This is a dance inspired by North Africa, and particularly by the ritualistic music of the region, and the ‘mystical Islamic Fellowship’ of the Gnawa people who were originally brought to North Africa by the Berber as slaves. I particularly loved the duo routines of this piece, the ‘pas de deux’ so to speak, with movements that suggest romance. Despite the inspiration for the dance, I could also feel South American elements in the fluidity of the moves.

The final piece was my personal favourite. Agora, which fuses percussion beats and Afro-Brazilian percussion with rock music and vocals feels very modern and stylish. At times the movement had the feel of the New York disco of the 1970’s – this was definitely the dance that I would love to join in with.  It is a fitting, uplifting finale to a brilliant triple header.

If you love dance and want to experience a truly talented company, then you have just one day to catch the Sao Paulo Dance Company in Wolverhampton, they then move onto Inverness, before completing this first UK tour in Norwich.

Sharing is caring!