Rio de Janeiro, R.J., Brazil – 2011 video

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Water Locale

Orla da Praia do Flamengo, Baía de Guanabara. Rio de Janeiro.

Audience Site

Praia do Flamengo, Baia de Guanabara

History

The Carioca River is a historically significant river located in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. It springs at the base of Corcovado Hill, flows down into Guanabara Bay, cutting through Cosme Velho, Laranjeiras and Flamengo neighborhoods. Its waters reach the Bay at Flamengo Beach, after flowing through a treatment plant, where our performance took place.
The river once fed the Carioca imagination, as old people used to say that women who drank its water became more beautiful and men recovered their physical stamina. Throughout the colonial era, the river was the main source of fresh water for the population of Rio de Janeiro. Although closely linked to the development of the city, having been used as an important source of freshwater long before the Portuguese arrival, currently its waters are polluted by domestic sewage for almost its entire path, except the region near its source. This motivated the construction of the sewage treatment plant at the river mouth in 2002. Until the beginning of the operation of the Sewage Treatment Plant in Praia do Flamengo, the same was released directly on the beach, which contributed directly to the deplorable state of the same.
From that vantage point we can see how scarce the river flow is nowadays and learn how sad is its meeting with the polluted waters of the nevertheless beautiful Bay of Guanabara. This demands both celebration and urgent action.

The Choreographers

General Direction:Giselda Fernandes
Choreography Assistents: Ana Bevilaqua e Paulo Marques
Choreographers:

Aline Valentim (Aláfia Group)
Andrea Chiesorin (Collective Ciclobailarinos)
Eloisa Brantes (Collective Líquida Ação)
Giselda Fernandes (Os Dois Dance Company)

The Music

Ogundá Percussion Group

Bruno Oliveira
Marcos Odara
Juninho
Thomas Harres

The Performance

The event was choreographed by Giselda Fernandes based on her performances Garrafão and Pet na Rede, in collaboration with Ana Bevilaqua, Paulo Marques and associated artists. 55 people participated in the event: dancers from Os Dois Dance Company; dance students from two dance colleges (UFRJ – Federal University and FAV – Faculdade Angel Vianna); the dance collectives Ciclobailarinos and Líquida Ação; the dancer Aline Valentim and her afro-based group Aláfia; the theater group Guapos and also independent dancers and musicians.
The performance used 60 big 20 liters mineral water empty bottles; 70 buckets; 800 water plastic bottle (pet); two fishing nets; basins and bikes. At 4:00pm, the performers came out from different parts of Flamengo Park going towards the seafront, where all joined the group Flamengo Beach Tennis 200 and the general public to perform the global choreography, which was repeated in all cities participating in GWD.

Directions to Site Location

GLOBAL WATER DANCES/Brazil happened at Aterro do Flamengo at the seafront, close by the number 200th in Praia do Flamengo, on June 25, from 4:00pm
See map below.

Email contact

giselda@osdois.com

Local website

www.osdois.com
Twitter: GWDbrasil
Facebook: Global Water Dances no Brasil
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Water-Dances-no-Brasil/106510396104553