Salvador June 2019
Balé Folclórico da Bahia is internationally known for its balletic and remarkably physical performances based on Brazilian folk dances and orixás, spiritual entities known in Candomblé and other Afro-Brazilian traditions.
The photos below are impressions of the class. The video at the end of the post gives a sense of the dynamics of the class.
Dancers from the main company joined the class to demonstrate the movement sequences. Through the windows you can see part of the old city of Salvador. Some of the movement is photographed against a wall of mirrors in the rehearsal space.
The video excerpts give a sense of the class. The instructor would give a sequence, then members of the company would lead the sequence for the dance students. On the audio track you can hear the propulsive drumming that drives the practice (and the company’s performances as well).