Brazilian troupe pays a cultural visit

It's rare that a visit by Balé Folclórico is quiet. The Brazilian dance and percussion troupe is known for its boisterous flamboyance. Well before its performances end, seats often are empty and aisles are packed with happy, dancing bodies.

But in Philadelphia this week, the company's 38 members were not on stage before hundreds. Instead, they were engaged in sharing techniques with intimate groups of local dancers and musicians - leading master classes and workshops, lecturing informally, rubbing shoulders at social gatherings.

This pop-up cultural exchange materialized within weeks, thanks largely to the work of Philadelphians with strong ties to Brazil who knew that despite having performed in at least 100 U.S. cities, Balé Folclórico had never been here.

Gary Steuer, the city's chief cultural officer, hailed the effort and noted that it meant an "opportunity for lots of people in the field . . . to be introduced to this great international dance company that expresses the particularly unique culture of Bahia in Brazil."

Balé Folclórico, known for its intoxicating rhythms, extravagant costumes, and indefatigable dancers, is based in Salvador, in the northeastern state of Bahia. At the height of the Atlantic slave trade, 6 percent of enslaved Africans landed in what is now the United States - and 38 percent landed in Brazil. Bahia's population is still deeply connected to its sub-Saharan roots, in some cases having retained customs and language that have disappeared from Africa.

The Philadelphia visit, made possible by a break between shows in Princeton and Richmond, Va., was hastily pulled together by Paul Johnson, honorary consul of Brazil in Philadelphia, and his friend Alex Shaw, a singer, percussionist, and music director of the local group Alô Brasil. They arranged a full week of events for the performers, kicked off by a City Hall reception with Mayor Nutter and cultural leaders.

On Tuesday and Friday, lectures on Bahian culture and public dance workshops were scheduled for the Performance Garage in Fairmount. Lead choreographer Nildinha Fonsêca led a Wednesday afternoon master class for about 50 dance students at the University of the Arts, then did it again Thursday at Temple University.

The troupe collaborated with Diga Brazil, which organizes trips to Salvador, for a happy hour Wednesday at Chima Brazilian Steakhouse. Afterward, its percussionists led an Afro-Brazilian drum workshop at the university.

Before a Thursday night party at 7165 Lounge in Mount Airy, there was a cultural and artistic exchange with the African dance company Kulu Mele at its weekly rehearsal.

Aja DePaolo, a junior at the university majoring in jazz dance, didn't know anything about Balé Folclórico when she heard about the master class.

"We thought we had to be in buns and ballet shoes," she said. "But then I YouTubed them - I thought they were going to kick my butt."

Throughout the workshop, she moved her petite body to the rhythm of the drums, twisting, bounding, her long, dark, curly hair snapping after each motion. Long before the workshop ended, she, like everyone, was sopping wet.

As strenuous as it looked, she said, the session was exciting. "The whole class, they never stopped," she said. "As soon as she [Fonsêca] started, I was like, this is the last time she's going to talk - we're not going to stop dancing till the class is over."

She said she hopes to take more such master classes if Balé Folclórico visits Philadelphia again.

Said Alô Brasil's Shaw, who teaches a percussion ensemble at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, "I feel like this week's events with the Balé, both the public and private master classes, have given attendees a powerful, firsthand opportunity to exchange with these representatives of Afro-Brazilian arts and culture.

"And for even those who have not been able to attend, my hope is that just the company's presence in Philadelphia has enhanced local awareness about the increasing relevance and interest in Afro-Brazilian culture in our community. . . .

"I think it's important that international artists and cultural organizations know what's going on in Philadelphia. I think that has a sort of ripple effect because as these artists go back to Brazil or when they tour other parts of the world, they will say great things about Philadelphia and our arts community and talk about their eagerness to return, and vice versa."

Steuer couldn't agree more. Balé Folclórico's visit, he said, has been an experience that should lead to similar ground-level cultural exchanges. A major opportunity for that looms - the three-week Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, which begins April 7.

"I think there's a real, growing interest in other areas of the world to experience Philadelphia culture," he said, "and I think there's also growing interest from Philadelphia artists to have that kind of cross-pollination and to be able to have the opportunity to experience culture from other parts of the world."

On a more visceral level, Peter Bertini - an associate professor of dance, founding member of Alô Brasil, and devotee of Afro-centric music, especially Ghanaian drumming and dancing - shared something mentioned often this week.

"For me," he said, "whenever I hear all those drums, it just takes over. It's bigger than your thoughts. People might have no idea that they love it - until they hear and see it."