{"id":578,"date":"2015-07-02T12:01:32","date_gmt":"2015-07-02T17:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/?p=578"},"modified":"2019-07-29T16:30:52","modified_gmt":"2019-07-29T21:30:52","slug":"heritage-dances-in-salvador-uw-milwaukee-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/?p=578","title":{"rendered":"Heritage dances in Salvador: UW-Milwaukee students"},"content":{"rendered":"

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UW-Milwaukee spent time with several scholars and artists connected with the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and with public education in Salvador.\u00a0 Their dance instruction was enriched by their intellectual and cultural commitment to preserving and interpreting the African-Brazilian tradition of Salvador.\u00a0 This included instruction in Samba da Roda (a circular dance\u00a0of women), orixa dances, the Maracatu, the Frevo\u00a0 and others.<\/p>\n

The instructors emphasized two elements of the movement class.\u00a0 The first was teaching the form of movement associated with the dances.\u00a0 The second emphasized the spiritual sense of the tradition and helped students innovate and move with some of their own interpretive skill.\u00a0 This was particularly true of the orixa dances associated with Iemanja and Omulu.<\/p>\n

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Imani, Daniela Amoroso (teaching) and Armando<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Samba da Roda, class with Daniela Amoroso<\/em><\/p>\n

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Mindy, (Frida Kahlo on the wall), Daniela\u00a0and Carly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Troy, Daniela, and Simone Ferro, learning the umbigada<\/em> (the bumping of abdomens that passes the solo from one dancer to another)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.\u00a0 The spaces shown here are the older rooms used for celebration, instruction and other events.<\/p>\n

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Carly, Mindy, Imani, Daniela (instructor),\u00a0and Caelen (Tory in the background)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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UW-Milwaukee Study Abroad students in a stretch\u00a0at the end of class \u2014 it is also a joint affirmation of their dancing as a community<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Dances to the orixa Iemanja<\/em>, Maracatu<\/em>, Frevo<\/em> with Denny Neves<\/p>\n

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Emily, Caelen, Denny (instructor), percussionist in far right. Demonstrating the rhythm of the dance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Denny leading the class of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Imani, Carly, Armando, Denny (teaching) and percussionist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Caelen, Denny (background) and percussionist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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African-derived rhythm instruments (woven beads over a gourd), called xequer\u00ea (or agb\u00ea) in Brazilian Portuguese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Interpretive Dance to Omulu<\/em> with Marilza<\/p>\n