UW-Milwaukee spent time with several scholars and artists connected with the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and with public education in Salvador. Their dance instruction was enriched by their intellectual and cultural commitment to preserving and interpreting the African-Brazilian tradition of Salvador. This included instruction in Samba da Roda (a circular dance of women), orixa dances, the Maracatu, the Frevo and others.
The instructors emphasized two elements of the movement class. The first was teaching the form of movement associated with the dances. The second emphasized the spiritual sense of the tradition and helped students innovate and move with some of their own interpretive skill. This was particularly true of the orixa dances associated with Iemanja and Omulu.
Samba da Roda, class with Daniela Amoroso
The venue for the classes was an old Salvador house that had been abandoned for years and was now being renovated and refunctioned by Daniela Amoroso and others. The spaces shown here are the older rooms used for celebration, instruction and other events.
Dances to the orixa Iemanja, Maracatu, Frevo with Denny Neves
Interpretive Dance to Omulu with Marilza
Marilza devoted the class to dancing to Omulu, the ancient god of health and sickness and associated with the sun. Orthodox Candomble has specific movements for representing and invoking Omulu, but this class was designed to be interpretive of the spirit of the orixa rather than the traditional movements that would be done in a terreiro (Candomble house of worship). A highly elaborated variation of orixa dances can be seem in public performance of Salvador’s Bale Folclorico, has developed a highly stylized and virtuoso set of movements or the orixas for public performance.
Here, Marilza discussed the attributes of Omulu and developed movement that was not literally from the Candomble ceremony but an interpretation of the spirit of the orixa Omulu.
