Viver Brasil presents “Feet on the Ground/Aiyê” - Multimedia Afro-Brazilian Dance July 3rd

In their seventh season at the Ford Amphitheatre, Viver Brasil presents the multimedia “Feet on the Ground/Aiyê” July 3rd - excavating the roots, rhythms, images and spirits of Brazilian culture. Guest musician José Ricardo Sousa and vocalist K
By: Loudmouth PR
 
June 1, 2009 - PRLog -- Los Angeles – Viver Brasil returns for its 7th season at the Ford Amphitheatre with a high-energy, multimedia display of Afro-Bahian rhythms, drums, rolling hips and exuberant colors and costumes in “Feet on the Ground/Aiyê” on July 3 at 8:30 p.m.  This engaging performance includes the world premiere of 2 new works and transforms ancient tales of the Earth’s energy into a modern theatrical performance of technology and contemporary choreography with a virtual set of video projections by Mexico City director and video artist Leonardo Bondani.  Bondani has created videos and visuals for Café Tacuba, YES, Moby, Deep Forest and more.

Founded in 1997, the award winning Viver Brasil is rooted in the traditional and contemporary dance forms and techniques of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and is dedicated to exploring and preserving the passion and theatricality of Afro-Brazilian dance.  The company specializes in the Afro-Brazilian culture from the Northeastern region of Brazil, (where the African presence is most prominent). Dancers and drummers bring to life the epic, tantalizing stories of the orixa, African deities or spirits that are the pulse of the culture, plus present ecstatic samba, contemporary Afro-Brazilian dance and carnival choreography.

“Feet on the Ground/Aiyê” features new works exploring Axé, the Afro-Bahian concept of Earth’s energy, and its use as a catalyst for creative action.  Ancient texts come alive in the sassy, irrepressible steps of samba and traditional and contemporary movements in multimedia environment with video projected images of the colors, textures, faces and places of Salvador, Bahia.  

Viver Brasil will also perform their uplifting and spiritual signature piece Avanhia, followed by Orixas, a retelling of how Ogum, the God of Iron, brings the orixas to the Earth.  Feet on the Ground/Aiyê will tour to Redlands, CA and Guadalajara, Mexico, as part of a collaborative concert co-presented with UCLA’s Center for Intercultural Performance and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.  

Under the artistic direction of Linda Yudin and Co-director Luiz Badaro and with the riveting choreography of internationally renowned choreographer Rosangela Silvestre, from Salvador, Brasil, Viver Brasil layers Afro-Brazilian moves, myths and driving rhythms with an array of drums and vocals.  Featured musicians include Jose Ricardo Sousa (of the Bale Folclorico da Bahia) and captivating Rio de Janeiro vocalist Katia Moraes of Sambaguru.  

The core dancers of Viver Brasil possess a strong background in Afro Brazilian dance (most have trained in Bahia via Viver Brasil’s annual dance trips) and have eclectic training in modern techniques incljuding: Silvestre, Dunham, and Lewitzky techniques, modern, ballet, capoeira, gyro-kinesis, hip-hop and West African; Tae Kwon Do and more.

“From the first exhilarating sound of the atabaque drums, a surge of electricity sweeps through the audience, unites us with the irrepressibly energetic troupe of dancers, drummers and singers and keeps us in an elevated, almost combustible state until well past the last sound fades away.” – LA Weekly

Tickets, priced at $33 and $5 for full-time students with ID and children 12 and under, are available at www.FordTheatres.org or 323 461-3673 (for nonvisual media 323 GO 1-FORD). Through the Ford’s early buyer incentive, adults who buy tickets on or before June 26 pay only $28. The $5 student/child tickets are made possible thanks to a grant from Target, sponsor of Target Dance Series at the Ford. Target strives to make the arts affordable and accessible to youth and families because the arts help foster an appreciation and understanding of various cultures and points of view.

“Feet on the Ground/Aiyê” is sponsored by Fusicology.com, Pelourinho.com, Soul Brazil Magazine, Remo, Wild Oats Café, O.N.E., the Flourish Foundation and the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

The Ford Amphitheatre is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068, just off the 101 Hollywood Freeway across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios.  The grounds open two hours before showtime for picnicking. The Ford offers a number of dining options: a variety of food and beverages is available on site and box dinners for evening events may be ordered in advance. Patrons are welcome to bring their own food and drink. The Ford is disabled accessible. Portable wireless listening devices are available upon request.

On-site, stacked parking costs $5 per vehicle for evening shows and $1 per vehicle for morning family shows. For evening shows only, FREE non-stacked parking serviced by a FREE shuttle to the Ford, for evening amphitheatre performances only, is available at the Universal City Metro Station lot at Lankershim Blvd. and Campo de Cahuenga. The shuttle, which cycles every 15-20 minutes, stops in the "kiss and ride" area.

This event is part of the Ford Amphitheatre 2009 Season, a multi-disciplinary arts series produced by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission in cooperation with Los Angeles County - based arts organizations. For a complete season schedule, directions to the theater and parking information, log on to www.FordTheatres.org.

Press Contact: Brittany A. Gash loudmouthpr2@yahoo.com •  877-853-7475 x 2
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Source:Loudmouth PR
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