Eleven Brazilian dancers will excite audiences at Memorial Hall tonight with their acrobatic, martial arts and hip-hop moves set to samba and electronic music.
Compagnie Kafig will make its Chapel Hill debut with a two-night performance as part of Carolina Performing Arts’ 2013-14 season.
The show combines the dance styles of hip-hop and samba with capoeira — a Brazilian martial art — and acrobatic skills. Electronic music and bossa nova, which is a genre of Brazilian music that mixes samba and jazz, provide the soundtrack for this fusion performance.
Joe Florence, marketing manager for CPA, said the performing arts group is thrilled to present the all-male dance troupe because of its broad appeal, enticing story and choreography.
“People are blown away by them, and we think it’s a performance that will stick in people’s minds years and years from now,” he said.
“In fact, it’s kind of beyond dance. Its story is amazing — the fact that these are street dancers from one of Rio’s shanty towns who want to make something better of themselves.
“Personally, I don’t call it dance — I call it movement. I call it a very high-energy event because it’s mixed with circus moves, hip-hop choreography and traditional street-dancing elements.”
Mourad Merzouki, the company’s artistic director, choreographed the performance’s two parts after he came across the Rio de Janeiro performers and heard their stories about life in the slums, or “favelas,” of Brazil.
Aaron Shackelford, CPA’s Mellon postdoctoral fellow, helped organize events inspired by Compagnie Kafig’s production to connect the University with ideas and issues associated with the show. These events, which happened Monday, included a hip-hop masterclass taught by some of the group’s members and a student-faculty panel to discuss border crossing.
