The premiere of Ismael Ivo Olhos d’Agua’s new project on 18 September is a special highlight of the House of World Cultures’ autumn programme, BLACK ATLANTIC. This commissioned work is based on research into African traditions handed down at the time of the transatlantic slave trade.
A central motif of the artistic work of the Brazilian dancer and choreographer in the Black Atlantic is the dominating figure of his great grandmother, who was herself born into slavery. She handed down stories that would form the nucleus of Ismael Ivo’s identity too. Olhos d’Agua places his experience of oral history at the centre of the artistic process, which focuses on three important Black women who are all about seventy years old. The priestess Mãe Beate comes from Bhia, the centre of the syncretic Candomblé religion. Othella Dallas, a jazz singer and dancer, was sponsored by the famous dance teacher Katherine Dunham, and has performed, in the course of her long career, with Josephine Baker and Sammy Davis Jr. among others. Actress and director Tereza Santos’ commitment to the liberation struggle took her from Brazil, then ruled by a military dictatorship, to Angola. The power of living memory embodied in these women is very inspiring; their histories form the point of departure for improvisations by the eight dancers and performers whom Ivo and Brazilian director Maria Thaìs have brought together from very different artistic backgrounds: from Hip-Hop and Capoeira to classical and modern dance.
We cordially invite you to attend the rehearsal and photo session on Wednesday, 15 September 2004 at 11 a.m. at the House of World Cultures. Afterwards, Ismael Ivo and his company, as well as Mãe Beata, Othella Dallas and Tereza Santos will be delighted to answer your questions. The BLACK ATLANTIC programme is sponsored by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes. We look forward to seeing you there,
Christine Regus Press Office, 2 September 2004 Please confirm your participation (stating your name, editorial board and telephone/fax number) by e-mail to presse@hkw.de
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