CRÔA

2024

RELEASE

“Crôa” is anchored in one of the most practiced and respected cultural traditions of Maranhão state. The festivities of the Divine, manifested through the musical and religious knowledge held by the Caixeiras (female drummers), serve as the impetus for the elaboration of the creative and collaborative universe of this spectacle. The choreographic creation is based on the narrative and ritual of the Festa do Divino (Feast of the Divine), where each stage of its manifestation corresponds to a type of singing, movement, and rhythmic density. Using a non-linear structural process, the interactions between the Caixeiras and the dancers of the Cisne Negro Dance Company occur through creative devices, including often opposing themes such as devotion, heritage, irreverence, and racism. Beyond the chronological manifestation, which has a cycle of events and rules to be followed during the festivities, the catalyst for devotion present in the festival lies in the promises of the participants. In the participation of the Caixeiras, as priestesses of this sisterhood, lies the incorporation of the sacredness demonstrated in the different ceremonies.

  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança
  • Croa Cisne Negro Cia de Dança

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TECHNICAL DATA


Artistic Direction
Dany Bittencourt

Choreography
Simone Linhares Ferro in collaboration with the performers

Concept and Direction
Simone Linhares Ferro

Music
Caixeiras do Divino and Fábio Cardia


Assistant Director and Rehearsal Director
Patricia Alquezar

Costumes and Set Design
Kelson Barros and Simone Linhares Ferro

Lighting
Eduardo Ferreira Paes Jr

Consultant
Jandir Gonsalves

Cast
Ana Luísa Torres, Bruna Nunes, César Cirqueira,
Gabriela Evangelista, Gustavo Ambrósio, Isabelle Dantas,
Julia Poletto, Leonardo Branco, Maria Zanatta,
Mário Gilberto, Pedro Henrique Fernandes, Willian Gásparo.

Work created especially for the CISNE NEGRO DANCE COMPANY

SIMONE FERRO

A native of São Paulo, Simone Ferro holds a Solo Seal from the Royal Academy of Dancing. She joined the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), where she has taught dance techniques to undergraduate and graduate students since 2001. Currently, she directs the Master's program in Dance and, between 2011 and 2015, served as director of the Dance Department. After gaining professional experience as a dancer and soloist with the Cisne Negro Dance Company, the São Paulo City Ballet, and the Rio de Janeiro Ballet, Simone traveled to Europe to dance for six years with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, and for six years with the Alias Compagnie in Switzerland. Among the main choreographers she has worked with are Jiří Kylián, Christopher Bruce, Ohad Naharin, Luiz Arrieta, Victor Navarro, Sônia Mota, and Guilherme Botelho, among many others. Simone holds a postgraduate degree in dance as a fellow at the University of Iowa, USA, graduated from Stott Pilates in Canada, and has a Certificate in Movement Analysis using the Laban method from Columbia College in Chicago, USA. Over the years, Simone has choreographed performances for dance, theatre and opera companies, including the Milwaukee Ballet, the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the Florentine Opera, the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, the Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Danceworks Performance Company and the Wild Space Dance Company.

Since 2004, Simone has regularly traveled to Brazil with her husband and research partner, Dr. Meredith W. Watts, to research and document the popular culture and festivals of Maranhão, as well as the Bumba-meu-boi. This project has generated a series of choreographic works, presentations at academic conferences, and articles, including a publication in the Revista de Cultura Popular (Journal of Popular Culture). Over the years, Simone has conducted more than one hundred interviews with participants, group leaders, singers, and artisans, and has traveled more than 10,000 kilometers throughout the interior of Maranhão. She has published dozens of videos on her personal website, pioneering the archiving of the Bumba-meu-boi practiced in the state of Maranhão.

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