My gorgeous friend Veronica Leopoldino told me last week about an international premiere taking place online. It's amazing how sometimes things come along unexpectedly, and they really touch our hearts. This was one such instance.
Based in São Paulo, Brazil, musician and dancer Alisson Lima was presenting his new solo work, Na Medida do Possivel, which he developed during the Covid-19 pandemic. I found the performance so beautiful and extraordinary that I wrote a poem about it the very next day, which I have shared below.
There will be another performance online on Sunday 22 November 2020 at 7.30pm Brazilian time (4.30pm UK times). I highly recommend it! Tickets can be booked online here,
Alisson is on Instagram @alissonlima.dance and Facebook Alisson Lima Brincante.
The Dancer
He begins outside
In the rain.
He is moving behind a large umbrella,
And in this space,
Where we cannot see his face,
The umbrella is more than the man.
He descends the steps
And leads us inside.
On the bed,
He and his shadow
Bend and stretch
And flex together.
The lamp,
The man,
The shadow.
We are watching him from afar,
On screens around the world.
Suddenly the frame goes dark.
I wait.
I hear music,
But see nothing.
I have lost the visual,
But I feel he is there.
And so it is.
He is simply on a different screen,
On a different camera,
In a different room.
He is dancing with a character,
A kind of puppet
Whom I instantly want to name
‘The Thin Man’.
The dancer,
His movements are strong,
Supple,
Elegant.
He is playful,
And he is bold.
Approaching the camera,
He is the player who switches
From object
To subject,
Looking through the eye of the camera
Into the eyes of his audience.
He has made the rooms
His labyrinth.
He uses props,
Doorways,
The floor,
The bed,
The sofa.
Caught up in his journey,
I am alert,
Watchful.
When the screen goes dark,
I wonder
Which room will he use?
Where will he re-emerge?
It creates suspension,
And tension,
An intimate interaction
In this virtual world.
Links Alisson's website
Instituto Brincante website
Instagram @alissonlima.dance
Facebook Alisson Lima Brincante
Blog copyright Barbara Grehs
Published on 21 November 2020
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