CALUNGA

"Calunga" is the result of a historical and aesthetic dive into the "popular folk" traditions of Brazil and has as its inspirational source the musical composition by Francisco Mignone (1897-1986) entitled Maracatu de Chico - Rei (1933).

In the script created by Mário de Andrade, Chico - Rei was a slave - leader of his tribe on the other side of the Atlantic - who managed to buy his freedom and that of almost all his subjects who came with him to work in Minas Gerais. And so Chico - Rei's court parades in Vila Rica, with the dance of the mucambas (nannies), the princes, the macotas (masters of the terreiros), the king and the queen, until they reach the main square of the city, where the masters receive their payment in gold and release the remaining slaves.

Maracatu is a contagious musical rhythm and in the context of popular dramatic manifestations is a procession composed of several characters, among them the doll or Calunga. Made of wood or wax, these dolls represent the nobility, ancestry, and syncretism present in this street party.

Calunga - Rui Moreira - Cisne Negro Cia de Dança