Bolero – Balé da Cidade de São Paulo 1982

Foto: Gerson ZaniniRicardo Viviani and Ciça Teiveles Meirelles

”Uma beleza de trabalho, que transborda vitalidade e energia” Helena Katz 07 Set 1982


PDF Facsimile *Unproofed OCR Transcript*

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Title: Bolero

Company: Balé da Cidade de São Paulo

Premiere: 18 Sep 1982

Venue: Teatro Municipal de São Paulo

Author: Emilie Chamie

O espetáculo “Bolero”, criado para o Balé da Cidade de São Paulo, em dois momentos, foi concebido, originalmente, para o Centro Cultural São Paulo. No Centro Cultural contou com um numero determinado de bailarinos. Agora, transposto o espetáculo ao Teatro Municipal, esse número é acrescido: todos os bailarinos do novo Grupo Experimental executam o primeiro momento (“Bolero” de Ravel) e a totalidade dos integrantes do Balé da Cidade dançam o “Bolero” de Trythall. 0 espaço do Centro Cultural, onde o “Bolero” estreiou e obteve sucesso extraordinário em suas quatorze apresentações, é ativo e ativador. Lá, bailarinos e público se misturavam e trocavam energias em seu movimento e contato direto. Pela versatilidade da concepção de “Bolero”, usamos, agora, o palco e a platéia do Municipal, estabelecendo outro tipo de dinâmica a partir da arquitetura interior do teatro. Para tanto, dissolvemos os limites entre platéia e palco, transformando em espaço único visual corredores, frisas e proscênio. Se no Centro Cultural havia um quase corpo-a-corpo criativo entre bailarino e espectador, no Municipal o espectador se vê envolvido de forma multilateral e estimulante ainda que fixo em seu próprio lugar.

Creative Team:

Concepção e Direção: Geral Emilie Chamie
Coreografia: Lia Robatto (0 solo feminino foi inspirado e composto a partir dos movimentos da dançarina Sonia Mota)
Assistentes: Hugo Travers, Yara Ludovico, Julia Ziviani e Monica Mion
Figurinos: Murilo Sola
Elemento cênico: Emilie Chamie
Projeto do analisador de som em tempo real: Conrado Silva
Música: Maurice Ravel (Bolero) 1928 William Schinstine (Scherzo) 1978 John Cage (She is Asleep) 1943 Richard Trytball (Bolero) 1979
Músicos Grupo de Percussão Agora: Elizabeth Del Grande, John E. Boudier, José Carlos da Silva e Mário Frungillo
Assistente Musical junto ao BCSP: João Paulo de Mendonça
Iluminação: Iacov Hillel
Trilha Sonora: Flávia Calabi
Coordenação da Exposição: Valéria de Mendonça

Performers:

Simone Ferro, Julia Ziviani, Lilia Shaw, Beatriz Cardoso, Regina Restelli, Patricia Galvão, Nelly Guedes, Paula do Valle, Luciana Maluf, Mário Enio Jarry, Alberto Cidra, Sérgio Botelho, Marcos Verzani, Tony Callado, Raymundo Costa, Cacá da Boa Morte, Leila Sanches, Monica Mion, Aurea Ferreira, Nadia Luz, Bete Arenque, Ana Luisa Seelaender, Solange Caldeira, Ana Verônica, Franco Moran, Paulo Rodrigues e Antonio de Almeida Solistas Simone Ferro e Sonia Mota – Elenco Grupo Experimental: Ismael Ivo, Daniela Stasi, Mariana Muniz, Fernando Lee, Ciça Teivelis, Vivien Buckup, José Carlos Nunes, Susana Yamauchi, Eduardo Costilhes, Silvia Bittencourt, João Maurício, Mara Borba, Dolores Fernandes, Maria José Crescente, Marina Helou, Ricardo Viviani, Luiz Vasconcelos e Hugo Travers (participaqdo especial)

Balé da Cidade de São Paulo

Diretor Artístico: Klauss Vianna
Assistente de Direção: Ruth Rachou
Assistentes de Coreógrafo: Hugo Travers, Yara Ludovico, Monica Mion e Julia Ziviani
Professores: Ismael Guiser, Sonia Mota, Hugo Travers, Klauss Vianna e Joana Lopes
Programação: Cyra Gomes de Araújo Moreira Pianista Olga Carrera
Iluminador: Tanaka
Diretora de Cena: Cleusa Fernandez
Massagistas: Alvaro Faro Mendes e Daniel Pires
Encarregada do Guarda-Roupa Maria Cristina Tavares
Costureira: Clarinda Rodrigues Alves
Sonoplasta: Miguel Derosa
Inspetor do BCSP: Deoclides Pereira Fraga Neto

Performances:

820918 to 26 Teatro Municipal de São Paulo
8210012300 TMdSP II Festival Nacional de Dança
821103 to 04 Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro
830605 to 10 Teatro João Caetano SP

Archival Material:

820918 Program, Poster, Photo; 821001 Program; 821103 Program; 830605 Program


Balé da Cidade de São Paulo

Grupo Marzipan with guest Ricardo Viviani – Dance Performance

Type: Dance Work / Piece · Production
Date: 1982
Context: Grupo Marzipan
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Organisation: Grupo Marzipan
Role: Choreographer · Performer
Participants: Grupo Marzipan · Ricardo Viviani · Renata Melo
Status: Historical Record — incomplete / ongoing archival reconstruction


Record / Description

Danúbio Azul is a choreographic work by Ricardo Viviani, created and first presented with Grupo Marzipan in São Paulo in 1982.

The existing archive record identifies this presentation as the premiere of Danúbio Azul. Further research and surviving documentation indicate that the work was subsequently presented on a number of occasions and at different venues in São Paulo.

This record is being reconstructed from surviving programmes, poster material, photographs, personal recollection and independent historical research. Exact performance dates, venues, casts and programme contents will be added as the original documentation is located and examined.

The Work / Creation

Danúbio Azul was choreographed by Ricardo Viviani during his period of work with Grupo Marzipan in the early 1980s.

The work belongs to the experimental dance environment developed by Marzipan in São Paulo, where dance was combined with theatrical, visual and other performance languages.

Creative Team

Choreography: Ricardo Viviani

Additional creative and production credits are awaiting confirmation from surviving programmes and poster material.

Performers

Renata Melo: dancer / performer.

Renata Melo was an important member of Grupo Marzipan and is documented in Ricardo Viviani’s archive in connection with several works from this period. Her participation in Danúbio Azul is retained here as part of the ongoing documentary reconstruction.

Further performers will be added when confirmed from the surviving programme or other primary documentation.

Performance History

1982 — São Paulo: premiere of Danúbio Azul with Grupo Marzipan.

The work was subsequently presented in São Paulo at different venues. Existing archival references indicate presentations connected with MASP — Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand and other venues. The exact dates and programme contents remain to be reconstructed.

Madame Satã: Ricardo Viviani recalls performing Danúbio Azul many times at Madame Satã in São Paulo. The venue’s historical documentation confirms Marzipan’s presence among the dance groups presented there. The individual performances will be added when supported by programmes, posters, listings or other contemporary documentation.

Programme Context

Ricardo Viviani recalls that Lili Marlene, a choreography he created for Renata Melo, may have formed part of the same programme associated with this period of Grupo Marzipan performances.

This relationship is currently recorded as provisional. The surviving programme or poster will be used to establish whether Lili Marlene was actually included in the programme documented by this record.

If confirmed, Lili Marlene should remain a separate work record, with this page recording the programme relationship rather than absorbing the work into Danúbio Azul.

Relationship with Renata Melo

Renata Melo was a dancer with Grupo Marzipan and collaborated with Ricardo Viviani in several works during this period.

Ricardo Viviani created Lili Marlene specifically for Renata Melo. Their collaboration also included Serious Talk / Relações Interpessoais, documented elsewhere in the archive, as well as her participation in Danúbio Azul.

These works should be maintained as separate records while their relationship as part of a continuing Ricardo Viviani–Renata Melo collaboration is made explicit through reciprocal internal links.

Artistic Context

Grupo Marzipan emerged in São Paulo in the early 1980s and became associated with an experimental approach combining dance with theatre, mime, visual culture, popular imagery and other performance languages.

Danúbio Azul belongs to the early period of this development and forms part of Ricardo Viviani’s early choreographic work in São Paulo.

Research

Independent research on the history of Grupo Marzipan identifies Danúbio Azul among the group’s early works and identifies Renata Melo among the artists associated with the group.

Further reconstruction will rely primarily on the surviving programmes, poster material and photographs held in Ricardo Viviani’s archive, supplemented by contemporary press and later historical research.

Primary Source / Documentation

Known or expected primary documentation includes:

  • programme material for the 1982 presentation;
  • poster material;
  • photographs;
  • a photograph taken by Roberto Frankenberg;
  • programmes documenting presentations at MASP and other venues;
  • possible documentation of performances at Madame Satã;
  • contemporary publicity and press material, if located.

The original programmes are particularly important because they may establish the complete cast, the relationship between Danúbio Azul and Lili Marlene, and the precise sequence and contents of the programme.

Archival Material

Current archival inventory:

  • photograph by Roberto Frankenberg — identified, original source to be examined;
  • poster — to be located / examined;
  • programme — to be located / examined;
  • additional photographs — to be located;
  • contemporary press and publicity material — pending reconstruction.

Legacy filenames and documentary identifiers should be retained when the material is migrated, where they contribute to archival reconstruction.

Contribution / Significance

Danúbio Azul is part of Ricardo Viviani’s early choreographic production and his work with Grupo Marzipan in São Paulo. The surviving documentation has particular value for reconstructing the movement of experimental dance between museums, cultural institutions and alternative performance spaces during the 1980s.

Assessment / Relevance

The combination of programmes, poster material and photographic documentation may allow this record to develop into a detailed performance history rather than remaining only a record of the 1982 premiere.

The connection with Renata Melo is also significant because Danúbio Azul, Lili Marlene and Serious Talk / Relações Interpessoais document a continuing artistic collaboration that should be represented across the archive without collapsing the individual works into one record.

Post Scriptum

September 2026: Ricardo Viviani identified further surviving documentation relating to Danúbio Azul, including a photograph by Roberto Frankenberg, poster material and programmes. Further documentary examination is pending.

Ricardo also recalls that Lili Marlene, created for Renata Melo, may have been included in the same programme. This remains provisional until the original programme or another contemporary source confirms it.

Keywords

Danúbio Azul, Ricardo Viviani, Grupo Marzipan, Marzipan, Renata Melo, Lili Marlene, Serious Talk, Relações Interpessoais, Roberto Frankenberg, MASP, Museu de Arte de São Paulo, Madame Satã, São Paulo, choreography, dance, performance, 1982, Brazilian dance, experimental dance

External Links

Roberto Frankenberg — Biography

Madame Satã — History

Research on Zélia Monteiro and Grupo Marzipan

Internal Links

Renata Melo — Danças Novas e Uma Usada

Seis Histórias de Amor — Grupo Marzipan Production

Colchões Ortopédicos — Dance Concert


Archival Note: This page forms part of an ongoing personal archive documenting Ricardo Viviani’s professional work and activities over more than four decades. Names and other personal information appear where relevant to the documented work or collaboration. If you believe that information concerning you has been published incorrectly or should be reconsidered, please contact me.

Seis Histórias de Amor – Grupo Marzipan Production

Seis Histórias de Amor - Grupo Marzipan
Seis Histórias de Amor — Grupo Marzipan

Type: Dance Work / Piece · Production
Date: 1983
Context: Grupo Marzipan production
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Institution / Organisation: Grupo Marzipan
Role: Choreographer
Participants: Grupo Marzipan
Status: Historical Record — incomplete / ongoing archival reconstruction


Record / Description

Seis Histórias de Amor was a production of Grupo Marzipan in São Paulo, choreographed by Ricardo Viviani. Independent historical sources identify the work as one of the group’s early productions and place it in 1983. The production forms part of Marzipan’s experimental work at the intersection of contemporary dance, theatre and other performance practices in São Paulo in the early 1980s.

The Work / Creation

Seis Histórias de Amor belongs to the early period of Grupo Marzipan, a collective that emerged in São Paulo in 1982 and developed an experimental language combining dance with theatrical and other performance resources.

Ricardo Viviani was responsible for the choreography of Seis Histórias de Amor. The production should therefore be treated as an authored choreographic work within Viviani’s professional development, rather than simply as a Marzipan group activity.

Contemporary retrospective documentation describes Seis Histórias de Amor as Marzipan’s second spectacle and associates the production with the group’s early period, when its work was characterised by an innovative and highly theatrical approach to dance. The critical description of Marzipan identifies the group’s language as fast, direct and visually oriented, incorporating theatre, mime and other performance resources.

Choreography / Creative Team

Choreography: Ricardo Viviani

Further creative and production credits should be added from the surviving programme, poster and other primary documentation as these materials are located and verified.

Performers / Collaborators

The surviving documentation is still being reconstructed. Independent research confirms the participation of members of Grupo Marzipan in Seis Histórias de Amor, including Zélia Monteiro. The complete cast and individual roles should be reconstructed from the surviving programme and other contemporary documentation rather than inferred from later Marzipan histories.

Performance / Presentation

1983 — São Paulo, Brazil

Independent documentation places Seis Histórias de Amor in São Paulo in 1983. A historical theatre-poster catalogue records a Marzipan presentation of Seis Histórias de Amor at MASP and Centro Cultural. The precise dates, venues and sequence of presentations should be established from the surviving poster, programme and contemporary press documentation.

Artistic Context

Grupo Marzipan emerged in São Paulo in 1982 during a period of significant experimentation in contemporary dance and theatre. The group worked in alternative and non-traditional performance environments and developed a distinctive relationship between dance, theatre, mime, visual composition and popular cultural references.

Marzipan’s work has subsequently been described as innovative within the São Paulo dance environment of the early 1980s. Marcos Bragato’s historical account describes the group’s work as incorporating theatre and mime and developing a highly visual and dynamic language referred to as “dança clip”.

Seis Histórias de Amor belongs to this formative period of Marzipan’s development and is particularly significant within Ricardo Viviani’s archive because it documents his work as choreographer within the group.

Research / Historical Documentation

Later historical and scholarly sources provide independent evidence for the production and its place within the history of Grupo Marzipan. Revista Dançar, in a retrospective account of Marzipan, identifies Seis Histórias de Amor as the group’s second spectacle and discusses the aesthetic characteristics of the production and the development of the company.

Research concerning Zélia Monteiro independently records her participation in Seis Histórias de Amor in 1983, providing additional evidence for the production’s date and cast history.

Relationship / Professional Collaboration

Seis Histórias de Amor is an important record of Ricardo Viviani’s professional relationship with Grupo Marzipan and of his development as a choreographer in São Paulo during the early 1980s.

The production should be considered separately from Viviani’s other work with Marzipan, including Danúbio Azul, while forming part of the same broader period of collaboration and artistic experimentation.

Primary Source / Documentation

The principal documentary evidence for this record is expected to include the surviving programme, poster, photographs and other production materials held in Ricardo Viviani’s personal archive. These materials should be used to establish the exact production credits, performers, dates, venues and presentation history.

Until these materials are fully examined, details not independently established should remain qualified rather than reconstructed from later sources.

Archival Material

1983 — Programme for Seis Histórias de Amor — surviving material to be added
1983 — Poster — surviving material to be added
1983 — Photographs — surviving material to be added
1983 — Press / critical documentation — further research ongoing

Contribution / Significance

Seis Histórias de Amor represents an important stage in Ricardo Viviani’s development as a choreographer and places his work within the experimental contemporary dance environment of São Paulo in the early 1980s. The production is also part of the documented history of Grupo Marzipan, a significant independent group working across dance and theatre during this period.

Assessment / Relevance

The combination of surviving primary documentation and independent historical sources makes Seis Histórias de Amor a significant record for reconstructing Viviani’s early choreographic work. Further examination of the surviving programme, poster, photographs and contemporary press should allow the production record to be substantially expanded.

Keywords

Seis Histórias de Amor, Grupo Marzipan, Marzipan, Ricardo Viviani, choreography, choreographer, Zélia Monteiro, São Paulo, contemporary dance, dance theatre, Brazilian dance, 1983


External Links

Revista Dançar — Grupo Marzipan and Seis Histórias de Amor

Flávia Scheye Spirópulos — research on Zélia Monteiro and Grupo Marzipan

Helena Katz — Brazilian dance chronology and documentation

Internal Links

Colchões Ortopédicos – Dance Concert

Blue Danube / Danúbio Azul

Marzipan Dance Group – Concert


Archival Note: This page forms part of an ongoing personal archive documenting Ricardo Viviani’s professional work and activities over more than four decades. Names and other personal information appear where relevant to the documented work or collaboration. If you believe that information concerning you has been published incorrectly or should be reconsidered, please contact me.

IRIBIRI — Review Acacio R. Vallim Jr.

newspaper clipping
O Estado de São Paulo, 28 May 1982

Type: Reception / Critical Documentation · Review
Date: 28 May 1982
Context: Contemporary critical reception of IRIBIRI by Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Institution / Organisation: O Estado de São Paulo
Publication: O Estado de São Paulo
Role: Reviewer / Critical commentator
Participants: Acacio R. Vallim Jr. — reviewer; Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro — subject of review; Ricardo Viviani — performer in IRIBIRI
Status: Historical Record — documented


Record / Description

This record preserves the contemporary review of IRIBIRI by Acacio R. Vallim Jr., published in O Estado de São Paulo on 28 May 1982, shortly after the work’s premiere at Theatro São Pedro on 10 May 1982. The review describes the production by Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro as one of the notable achievements of the São Paulo dance scene and discusses its unusual structure as a long-form work centred on a single subject rather than a programme of independent choreographies.

Vallim’s criticism focuses particularly on the relationship between everyday action and poetic or dream imagery, the transformation of ordinary movement into dance, and the integration of direction, choreography, scenography and costumes. He identifies Francisco Medeiros, José Rubens Siqueira and Sônia Mota as central creative figures in the production and comments on the coherence of their respective contributions.

Reception / Critical Documentation

The review, headed “IRIBIRI um espetáculo que emociona e diverte”, presents a strongly favourable contemporary assessment of the production while also noting what Vallim describes as the limited stage maturity of some performers. He considers the work accessible to a broad audience and emphasises its capacity both to move and entertain.

Vallim analyses IRIBIRI as operating through two interconnected scenic planes: a hyperrealist plane constructed from everyday actions and a poetic plane of dream images that comments upon, questions and ultimately transforms the reality represented on stage. He describes scenes involving waking, domestic activity, a family dinner and an old woman, through which the production gradually develops themes of melancholy, the passage of time, human limitation and the possibility of imagining another life.

A central point of the review is the function of dance within this structure. Vallim observes that everyday actions are transformed into dance within the poetic plane, using the example of a woman pulling a shopping trolley: the action remains recognisable while becoming choreographic movement. He identifies the final ensemble sequence as another moment of enchantment produced through the dancers’ movement.

The review specifically praises Sônia Mota’s choreographic work, particularly her treatment of the stage as a three-dimensional space and the relationship between the dancer’s body and that space. Vallim also emphasises the degree of integration among the different artistic functions, observing that it becomes difficult to determine where direction ends and choreography begins.

Publication

IRIBIRI um espetáculo que emociona e diverte, by Acacio R. Vallim Jr., published in O Estado de São Paulo, 28 May 1982.

Primary Source / Documentation

The surviving newspaper clipping establishes the contemporary publication of the review and its attribution to Acacio R. Vallim Jr. The scan is retained as the primary documentary source for the transcription below. The transcription follows the text preserved on the existing archive record; apparent typographical or scanning irregularities have not been silently normalised where they form part of the surviving transcription.

Review Transcription

“IRIBIRI um espetáculo que emociona e diverte”
ACACIO R. VALLIM JR.
O Estado de São Paulo — 28 Maio 1982

“IRIBIRI”, espetáculo apresentado no Teatro São Pedro pelo Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro, é uma das realizações mais felizes já surgidas no panorama da dança paulista. Para um grupo acostumado a apresentar programas formados com coreografias variadas, a proposta de um espetáculo longo centrado num único assunto representa um desafio. Esse desafio o Cisne Negro enfrenta e vence com muita energia a despeito da pouca maturidade cénica de alguns intérpretes. Tanto pela proposta do tema quanto pela impecável produção do espetáculo, “IRIBIRI” é um trabalho destinado a qualquer platéia e que vai emocionar e divertir o público.

“IRIBIRI” se desenvolve em dois planos distintos de ação cénica. Um hiperrealista construído com ações tiradas do cotidtano e outro poético, com imagens de sonho que comentam, criticam ou esclarecem o plano real. Esses planos começam isolados no início do espetáculo. Aos poucos o plano do sonho possa a interferir no espaço físico da realidade para, na cena do jantar, se tornar visível para as pessoas que nele atuam. Na cena final, o sonho chega até a modificar a realidade.

As cenas que acontecem no plano do cotidiano retratam ações corriqueiras. São mostrados o despertar de duas moças, a arrumação do apartamento de dois amigos, um jantar em família, a ceia de uma velha. A banalidade desses acontecimentos vai, ao longo do espetáculo, ganhando toques de melancolia até atingir seu ponto máximo de expressividade na terrível imagem da mulher de mil anos. Essas personagens vivem seu dia-a-dia quando jovens, ganham consciência do tédio de suas vidas quando adultos e, quando velhos, só tém forças para exalar o últtmo suspiro.

De um modo muito inteligente, os criadores do espetáeulo tratam essas figuras com carinho deixando para a platéia qualquer reflexão crítica. E se essas figuras são criticáveis em muitos aspectos, elas conservam intactas sua humanidade e seu poder de sonhar uma vida diferente para si mesmas. No final são os personagens do nível poético(o sonho) que vão transformar a velha de mil anos, por meio de um artifício teatral, numa mulher bonita que dança com toda a força de seu corpo jovem.

Entre tantos aspectos emocionantes do espetáculo, talvez o mais belo de todos seja exatamente o significado que a dança adquire dentro desse conjunto de ações. Se o plano real é apresentado como movimentos copiados do dia-a-dia, o plano do sonho usa essas ações mas as tránsforma em dança. Desse modo, uma moça que puxa um carrinho de feira não está simplesmente puxando esse carrinho. Ela dança a sua maneira de puxar o carrinho.

E é a dança que no epílogo do espetáculo traz todo o elenco para mais um instante de encantamento provocado pela movimentação dos bailarinos. Essa beleza acontece através de um trabalho impecável de Sonia Mota, uma das poucas profissionais da coreografia a trabalhar o espaço de cena em sua trídimensionalidade e o corpo do bailarino perfeitamente harmonizado a esse espaço.

De tal modo a equipe de “IRIBIRI” criou um espetáeulo homogeneo que é impossível saber, por exemplo, onde termina o trabalho de direção para começar o de coreografia. José Rubens Siqueira (roteiro, cenários e figurinos), Francisco Medetros (direção) e Sônia Mota (coreografia) são os principais responsáveis por um espetáculo que fica na memória e ao qual se pode voltar sempre para novas descobertas.

Relationship

This review documents the contemporary reception of IRIBIRI, the production recorded on IRIBIRI. It concerns the Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro production premiered at Theatro São Pedro on 10 May 1982 and includes discussion of the work of Francisco Medeiros, José Rubens Siqueira and Sônia Mota.

Archival Material

Surviving newspaper clipping / scan of the review; transcription of the review; related IRIBIRI production documentation.


Continue reading “IRIBIRI — Review Acacio R. Vallim Jr.”

IRIBIRI – Cisne Negro Dança 1982

Ricardo Viviani in arabesque
Ricardo Viviani performs O Homem do Céu in IRIBIRI

Type: Dance Work / Piece · Production  
Date: 10 May 1982  
Context: Long-form dance theatre production by Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro  
Location: Theatro São Pedro, São Paulo, Brazil  
Institution / Organisation: Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro  
Role: Performer  
Status: Historical Record — documented


Record / Description

IRIBIRI was a long-form dance theatre production presented by Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro, with its documented premiere at Theatro São Pedro in São Paulo on 10 May 1982. For a company accustomed to programmes composed of varied choreographies, the production represented a departure towards a sustained work centred on a single subject.

The work combined theatrical action, recognisable everyday behaviour, choreographic movement and poetic or dream-like imagery. Its scenic structure developed through two principal planes: a hyperrealist plane constructed from everyday actions and a poetic plane in which images of dreams commented upon, criticised or clarified the reality of the action. As the production progressed, the two planes increasingly interacted.

The Work / Creation

Women in Iribiri
Scene from IRIBIRI — Photo João Caldas

The everyday scenes included the waking of two young women, the arrangement of an apartment by two friends, a family dinner and the supper of an old woman. These ordinary situations gradually acquired a melancholic dimension, culminating in the image of the “woman of a thousand years”. The poetic or dream dimension eventually transformed the old woman into a young dancing woman.

A significant aspect of the production was the transformation of everyday physical actions into dance. The movement of the real plane was derived from ordinary behaviour, while the dream plane took those actions and transformed them into choreography. The contemporary review, for example, describes a young woman pulling a shopping cart not simply as performing an everyday action, but as dancing her way of pulling the cart.

The surviving premiere programme provides a more detailed view of the internal sequence of the work. Its handwritten Elenco is not simply a list of performers: it records the scenes in sequence and the performers assigned to them, providing rare documentation of the dramaturgical and working structure of the production.

Creative Team

Roteiro original: Francisco Medeiros e José Rubens Siqueira
Direção: Francisco Medeiros
Coreografia: Sonia Mota
Cenário e figurinos: José Rubens Siqueira
Músicas: Bach, Vivaldi, Haendel
Seleção musical: Francisco Medeiros, José Rubens Siqueira, Sonia Mota e Flávia Calabi
Sonoplastia: Flávia Calabi
Iluminação: Francisco Medeiros e José Rubens Siqueira
Produção: Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro

Elenco / Scene Sequence

The surviving handwritten premiere-programme notes record the following sequence of scenes and performer allocations. Slashes have been retained because the document records the performers associated with each scene rather than presenting a conventional final cast list.

Leporello for the premiere of IRIBIRI with handwritten notes
Program for the premiere of IRIBIRI

Prólogo — TODOS
Café da manhã
Novo freguês — Carmem / Dany / Alice / Isabel
Novo freguês — Patrícia / Cláudio / Bêk
Freira — Ricardo / Patrícia / Cláudio
Fica apressado — Ricardo / Patrícia / Cláudio
Mulher lenta — Bêk / Ricardo
Mulher elegante — Dany / Carmem / Alice / Isabel
Trio — Marco Antonio / Armando
Trio — Bêk / Ricardo
Almoço
Zaga 1 — Armando / João
Zaga 2 — João / Ricardo
Homen do Céu — Ricardo / Wlamir
Jantar
Pai — Armando / Marco Antonio
Mãe — Bêk / Patrícia / Cláudio
Filho — João / Wlamir
Filha — Patrícia / Cláudio / Ricardo
Namorada — Dany / Cláudio
Flautista — Ricardo / Armando
Mulher da Noite — Carmem / Patrícia / Cláudio
Executivo — Marco Antonio / João / Armando / Wlamir / Ricardo
Cabeludo — Ricardo / Bêk
Céu
Mulher de 100 anos — Patrícia / Cláudio / [parte ilegível]
Mulheres do local — Ricardo / Bêk / Dany / Carmem / Isabel / Alice / Patrícia / Cláudio
Epílogo — TODOS

The scene sequence provides a more precise archival context for the surviving photographs. In particular, the Café da manhã sequence corresponds to the everyday domestic material in which two young women are awakened, while the surviving photograph of Ricardo in arabesque belongs to O Homem do Céu, the poetic/dream section represented in the programme material. The image documents a technically demanding solo moment and preserves an important example of the company’s and Sônia Mota’s choreographic and technical capabilities.

Front cover of program for IRIBIRI
Program cover for IRIBIRI

Photograph / Cast Identification

The handwritten identification accompanying the cast photograph reads, from left to right and from top to bottom:

Ricardo Viviani / Marco Antonio Gomes / Armando Duarte
Claudia Decara / Bêk Risoléu / Hulda Bittencourt
Maria Isabel Mano / Alice Leopoldo e Silva
Carmem Balochini / Wlamir Napoli
Patrícia Ghirello / João Carlos Aur
Dany Bittencourt / Márcia Claus

The official Cisne Negro record confirms Dany Bittencourt as the correct spelling of the name. It also identifies Hulda Bittencourt as the founder and long-standing artistic director of the company and Dany as her daughter. The handwritten photograph identification is therefore retained as documentary evidence rather than treated as a formal production credit.

Production and Technical Credits

Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro

Relações Públicas: Eliete Brancato
Coordenação Geral: Hulda Bittencourt
Fotos: João Caldas
Máscaras e Adereços: José Rubens Siqueira
Execução dos Figurinos: Dora M. Gomes e Elione de D. Monge
Execução do cenário: José Vicente Peres e Antonio Nunes Oliveira
Luz e Som: Cisnesom
Operador de luz e Eletricista: Marcos Antonio Barbosa
Operador de som: Dorotéia Barbosa

Acknowledgements

Antonio Carlos Maciel, Antonio Carios Menezes, Luís Américo Medeiros, Luiz Cavalcanti Pessoa, Companhia Industrial Pernambucana, Márcio Goldfarb (Marisa Lojas Varejistas Ltda.), Jet-tours, Fábrica de Lenços Safira Ltda., Clube Alto dos Pinheiros, Troi S.A., Hevea indústria de Plásticos Ltda., Philips do Brasil Ltda., Marcos Bertoni, Chloé Siqueira, Guillermo van Domseiaar, José Luís Brancato, Iacov Hillel, Riwka Schwarz, Zaida Périgo

Performance / Presentation

820510 — Teatro São Pedro

The surviving record documents the premiere of IRIBIRI at Theatro São Pedro on 10 May 1982. The handwritten premiere-programme notes conclude with the entry “Segunda-feira 10 maio 1982 (Estreia)”, followed by the handwritten celebration “Conseguimos!!!”

Reception / Critical Documentation

“IRIBIRI um espetáculo que emociona e diverte”

ACACIO R. VALLIM JR.

O Estado de São Paulo — 28 Maio 1982

A contemporary review by Acacio R. Vallim Jr. described IRIBIRI as one of the most successful productions to emerge in the São Paulo dance scene. It emphasised the challenge of creating a long-form work around a single subject, the combination of hyperrealist everyday action with poetic dream imagery, and the transformation of ordinary physical actions into dance.

The review also highlighted the work of Sônia Mota in relation to the three-dimensional use of stage space and the relationship between the dancer’s body and that space, while identifying Francisco Medeiros, José Rubens Siqueira and Sônia Mota as central to the production’s creation.

Wlamir Napoli and Ricardo Viviani in IRIBIRI — Photo João Caldas

The complete review, its surviving image documentation and transcription are preserved separately as IRIBIRI — Review Acacio R. Vallim Jr..

Research / Development Context

A contemporary article in Visão, dated 5 April 1982 and written by Rui Fontana Lopez, documents IRIBIRI during its preparation approximately one month before the documented premiere. The article records the production as a new artistic experiment for Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro and describes the company moving beyond its established format of programmes composed of separate choreographies towards a long-form work based on an enredo and roteiro.

The article records the collaboration of theatre director Francisco Medeiros, choreographer Sônia Mota, José Rubens Siqueira and composer Flávia Calabi in the development of the new production. Medeiros describes the intended exploration of two interconnected worlds: everyday life and individualism, and the projections, desires and fantasies carried within people. The article also records the planned contrast between Baroque music and incidental music by Flávia Calabi, supporting contrasting choreographic languages by Sônia Mota, with José Rubens Siqueira developing the visual conception.

The source also provides evidence of the rehearsal process and the professional conditions of the company at the time. It records intensive daily rehearsals leading towards the May premiere and describes a production structure supported through official funds, monetary donations and donations of materials, while the dancers combined performance-related income with teaching or other professional activities.

The complete article transcription and its documentary context are preserved separately as Visão — Rui Fontana Lopez — O Cisne Negro e sua ‘rentrée’.

Premiere Programme / Development Notes

The surviving premiere programme contains several handwritten pages documenting the final development of IRIBIRI. One page records the scene sequence and performer allocations described above. Another, dated Domingo de Páscoa — 11 de abril 1982, records a late-night working meeting concerning the music and development of the production.

The note records that the group found, almost by chance, the final music for the Noite section, identified there in relation to the theme of the “Noite”. It describes the meeting as continuing until approximately four in the morning and mentions Sônia’s daughter Júlia in connection with her need to leave because of the following day’s schedule.

The writer then reflects on the way the production had developed through “descobertas, casuais, coincidências, acasos, encontros”, describing discovery, coincidence and encounters as characteristic of the making of IRIBIRI. This is valuable primary evidence of the collaborative and exploratory nature of the creative process.

The same note records that, from the first meeting concerning the roteiro, Ricardo and Francisco Medeiros (“Chico”) had been thinking about a Bach suite for solo cello. Sônia subsequently brought a record containing a Bach solo cello suite to the meeting. The coincidence between the music already being considered and the record she brought is recorded as part of the development process.

The Bach cello suite became part of the Epílogo. Its presence in the final work is particularly significant in relation to the technical and choreographic demands of the closing section and to the company’s ability to translate the musical structure into highly developed movement.

The note concludes with the premiere entry: “Segunda-feira 10 maio 1982 (Estreia)”, followed by “Conseguimos!!!”

Ricardo Viviani and the Development of IRIBIRI

Ricardo Viviani’s formal credit in the production remains Performer. The surviving handwritten working notes nevertheless place him repeatedly within the scene structure and close to the principal creative process. His name appears across numerous scenes, including the Freira, Mulher lenta, Zaga, Filha, Flautista, Executivo, Cabeludo and O Homem do Céu material, as well as in the final ensemble.

The notes also place Ricardo in direct working proximity to Francisco Medeiros and Sônia Mota during the development of the production, particularly in relation to the musical process documented in the 11 April 1982 note. This does not change the formal authorship or production credits, but it provides evidence of a more substantial creative working relationship than the simple category of “performer” alone conveys.

According to Ricardo Viviani’s recollection, Hulda Bittencourt brought him into Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro specifically in connection with IRIBIRI. Hulda was an energetic and accomplished figure in São Paulo’s dance scene, and Ricardo recalls that his experimental and avant-garde ideas, following his recent experience at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, were part of the context for his invitation. A surviving recommendation letter dated 14 April 1982 from Liz Thomson and Bessie Schönberg provides documentary context for his Jacob’s Pillow experience and belongs with the primary-source record of this period.

This recollection is retained as Ricardo’s personal account rather than presented as an independently established fact. The surviving working documents, however, provide independent evidence that his role within the production extended across numerous scenes and that he participated directly in discussions at the centre of the production’s development.

Relationship

IRIBIRI was produced by and presented through Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro, with Ricardo Viviani participating as a performer. The production is directly related to the archival record for Cisne Negro Dança.

The surviving April 1982 note also mentions Júlia, Sônia Mota’s daughter, in connection with the demanding rehearsal schedule. Ricardo later collaborated with Júlia in a separate commissioned project during the football World Cup in Brazil, creating Carnaval da Dorotéia in Frankfurt, an intervention presenting different Brazilian Carnival cultures and the continental scale of Brazil to young people and schools. Surviving photographs and a flyer documenting the Frankfurt project are preserved in the archive as Carnaval da Dorotéia.

The 5 April 1982 Visão article is directly related to this production record as contemporary pre-premiere documentation. It provides evidence of the development and rehearsal of the work before its documented premiere on 10 May 1982 and is preserved separately as Visão — Rui Fontana Lopez — O Cisne Negro e sua ‘rentrée’.

The contemporary review is preserved as a separate Reception / Critical Documentation record: IRIBIRI — Review Acacio R. Vallim Jr.


Primary Source / Documentation

The production record is supported by surviving photographic documentation, a script, a souvenir programme, the premiere programme with handwritten development notes, programme/poster/flyer material and contemporary press documentation.

The surviving premiere programme is particularly important because it preserves both formal production information and working-process material. Its handwritten pages provide scene sequence, performer allocations, development notes, musical decisions and a dated account of the final weeks before the premiere.

The 5 April 1982 Visão article provides contemporary evidence concerning the development of the production before its premiere. It establishes a contemporary chronology for the rehearsal process and documents the artistic intentions, collaborators and working conditions surrounding the creation of IRIBIRI.

The 14 April 1982 recommendation letter from Liz Thomson and Bessie Schönberg provides additional primary-source documentation concerning Ricardo Viviani’s recent Jacob’s Pillow experience immediately before the IRIBIRI period.

Archival Material

19810131 — script, 19820405Visão article, 19820411 — handwritten development note concerning music and the final stages of creation, 19820414 — recommendation letter from Liz Thomson and Bessie Schönberg concerning Ricardo Viviani’s Jacob’s Pillow experience, 19820427 — souvenir programme, 19820510 — premiere programme with handwritten scene sequence, performer allocations and development notes; poster; flyer, 19820526 — contemporary review, 19820405Visão article, “Companhia — Um novo passo — O Cisne Negro e sua ‘rentrée’.”, by Rui Fontana Lopez; pre-premiere documentation of the development of IRIBIRI. Preserved separately as archival record Visão — Rui Fontana Lopez — O Cisne Negro e sua ‘rentrée’.

Archival Image References

The following legacy image and document references are retained from the original record for future migration. Their current availability is not assumed; the files can be moved to the current media structure while preserving their archival identification.

Principal photograph:
8205iribiri01m.jpg

Current principal photograph:
1982_8205iribiri01M-1024×766.jpg — Ricardo Viviani performing O Homem do Céu

Original programme:
programscaninsideM.jpg

IRIBIRI logo / programme image:
82iribirilogo.gif

O Estado de São Paulo logo:
estadao.png

Review scan:
820528estadaoS.jpg

Review thumbnail:
820528estadaoT.jpg

Review image referenced in the earlier record:
820526iribirireviewestadaoS.jpg

Jacob’s Pillow recommendation letter:
1982_0414pillowrecommendation.jpg


Contribution / Significance

IRIBIRI documents an important stage in Ricardo Viviani’s professional work with Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro and in the company’s development of long-form dance theatre. The production integrated dance, theatrical action, everyday movement and poetic imagery, and brought choreography, direction, dramaturgical conception, scenography, costumes, music and performance into a sustained single work.

The newly documented premiere-programme material significantly strengthens the historical record. It preserves not only the final sequence of scenes and performer allocations but also evidence of how the work was being constructed, discussed and resolved in the weeks immediately before its premiere.

For Ricardo Viviani, the material provides unusually detailed evidence of his participation in the work. While his formal credit remains performer, his repeated presence across the scene structure, his involvement in the musical discussions documented in the April note and his recollection of being brought into the company specifically for this production place him within an important working network surrounding the creation of IRIBIRI.

Assessment / Relevance

This record provides documentary evidence of Ricardo Viviani’s participation in a substantial early-1980s production and preserves the wider network of artists, technicians, producers and collaborators involved in the work. The surviving documentation connects the production with pre-premiere reporting, detailed working notes and contemporary critical reception.

The combination of formal programme credits, scene-by-scene handwritten allocations, rehearsal/development notes, photographs and contemporary press material makes IRIBIRI one of the more extensively reconstructable productions in this period of the archive.

Post Scriptum

September 2026: This record was substantially revised following examination of the surviving premiere programme and its handwritten notes. The new material establishes the scene sequence, confirms additional name spellings and provides direct evidence of the final stages of the production’s development. The formal production credits have been retained separately from the working notes.

Keywords

IRIBIRI; Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro; Ricardo Viviani; Sônia Mota; Sonia Mota; Francisco Medeiros; José Rubens Siqueira; Flávia Calabi; Hulda Bittencourt; Dany Bittencourt; Rui Fontana Lopez; Visão; São Paulo dance; Theatro São Pedro; 1982; dance theatre; choreography; performance; Brazilian dance; rehearsal; production development; O Homem do Céu; Jacob’s Pillow.


External Links

Cisne Negro Dança

Internal Links

Cisne Negro Dança

IRIBIRI — Review Acacio R. Vallim Jr.

Visão — Rui Fontana Lopez — O Cisne Negro e sua ‘rentrée’

Carnaval da Dorotéia


Archival Note: This page forms part of an ongoing personal archive documenting Ricardo Viviani’s professional work and activities over more than four decades. Names and other personal information appear where relevant to the documented work or collaboration. If you believe that information concerning you has been published incorrectly or should be reconsidered, please contact me.

IRIBIRI – Press Rui Fontana Lopez

scan of magazine article
Visão, 5 April 1982. “Um novo passo — O Cisne Negro e sua ‘rentrée’.”

Type: Primary Source / Documentation · Contemporary Press  
Date: 5 April 1982  
Context: Pre-premiere documentation of the development of IRIBIRI  
Location: São Paulo, Brazil  
Publication: Visão  
Author: Rui Fontana Lopes  
Role: Contemporary journalist / dance critic  
Status: Historical Record — documented


Record / Description

This article from Visão, dated 5 April 1982 and written by Rui Fontana Lopez, documents Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro during the preparation of its new long-form production, subsequently premiered as IRIBIRI in May 1982.

The article is particularly significant because it records the production before its premiere. It describes the artistic development of the company, the decision to undertake a new kind of long-form work based on an enredo and roteiro, the collaboration with theatre director Francisco Medeiros, the choreographic work of Sônia Mota, the planned visual conception by José Rubens Siqueira and the use of incidental music composed by Flávia Calabi.

Primary Source / Documentation

The article provides contemporary evidence of the conception and rehearsal of IRIBIRI before its public presentation. Hulda Bittencourt describes the production as a new artistic experience for the company, while Francisco Medeiros explains the intention to explore two interconnected worlds: everyday life and individualism on one side, and projections, desires and fantasies on the other.

The article records that the production was being rehearsed intensively and was expected to premiere in May. It also documents the company’s professional organisation, the working conditions of its dancers and technical personnel, its production difficulties, and its intention to tour with both its repertory and the new work after the São Paulo presentation.

Research / Development Context

The Visão article is an important source for reconstructing the development of IRIBIRI as an artistic experiment within the history of Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro. It shows that the work was conceived as a substantial change from the company’s established repertory format, which normally consisted of programmes containing different choreographies.

The article describes the intended structure as a ballet based on a script and plot occupying the duration of an entire performance. It also records the intended contrast between two musical languages: Baroque pieces and an incidental musical score by Flávia Calabi. These were to support the contrasting choreographic languages created by Sônia Mota, while José Rubens Siqueira was responsible for developing a visual conception capable of giving unity to the whole.

Artistic and Professional Context

The article places IRIBIRI within a period of artistic transformation for Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro. Hulda Bittencourt describes two principal moments of artistic transformation in the company’s development: the earlier introduction of work by important choreographers active in Brazil, and the new experiment then being rehearsed for premiere in May 1982.

The source also documents the company’s professional situation in the early 1980s. Although working professionally, the dancers did not receive conventional salaries and combined cost-of-living assistance, performance fees and box-office participation with teaching dance or other professional activities. Hulda Bittencourt describes the continuing effort required to finance productions through official funds, monetary donations and donations of materials for costumes and scenery.

Relationships and Collaborations

The Visão article records the specific 1982 collaboration between Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro, theatre director Francisco Medeiros, choreographer Sônia Mota, visual artist and script contributor José Rubens Siqueira, and composer Flávia Calabi in the development of the new production.

For Ricardo Viviani’s broader archive, these relationships form part of a longer professional network extending beyond IRIBIRI. Francisco Medeiros had previously directed Blue Danube. Sônia Mota had been a collaborator with Ricardo Viviani since Seis Ensaios e o Resto, presented at the São Paulo Bienal in 1979 in an international dance context that also included artists such as Ismael Ivo and Lia Rodrigues. Viviani subsequently collaborated with Mota on numerous productions, including her performance of Rubber Gloves, collaborations within programmes associated with Tanzprojekte Köln in the 1990s, and QuaaDriDuuo in 2007. Their professional relationship continued subsequently through interviews and other archival encounters.

José Rubens Siqueira had previously written the script for the Marzipan production of Seis Histórias de Amor, choreographed by Ricardo Viviani.

These later and earlier relationships are recorded here as archival context supplied through the ongoing reconstruction of Ricardo Viviani’s professional history. They should not be understood as claims made by the Visão article itself.

Contemporary Source

Publication: Visão
Date: 5 April 1982
Article: “Companhia — Um novo passo — O Cisne Negro e sua ‘rentrée’.”
Author: Rui Fontana Lopez

Transcription

The following transcription preserves the corrected transcription supplied for the archive. It is presented as a documentary transcription of the surviving article rather than as a modernised or rewritten version.

COMPANHIA

Um novo passo

O Cisne Negro e sua “rentrée”.

• O Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro surgiu em 1977, quando alguns alunos e professores do Estúdio de Ballet Cisne Negro juntaram-se aos recém-formados professores da Escola de Educação Física da USP para, sob a direção de Hulda Bittencourt, procurar um caminho original e criativo em dança.

Trabalhando em caráter profissional desde 1979, o Cisne Negro difere tanto dos tradicionais grupos estáveis de dança de São Paulo quanto dos pequenos, de existência efêmera.

Trata-se de uma companhia de dança de repertório, de tamanho reduzido, cujo principal objetivo é ampliar o público de balé mediante um trabalho permanente, à margem do mundo oficial da dança.

Enredo e roteiro — “Desde que começamos, tivemos dois momentos principais de transformação artística”, explicou Hulda Bittencourt ao crítico de dança Rui Fontana Lopez. “O primeiro foi há dois anos, quando Victor Navarro criou seu primeiro trabalho para o inaugurando a fase que trouxe para o nosso repertório balés assinados pelos mais importantes coreógrafos atividade no Brasil. O segundo estamos vivendo agora, ensaiando nosso novo espetáculo, que deve estrear em maio.”

fato, coreografias adaptadas à proposta artística do grupo e às potencialidades de seus dez bailarinos, o Cisne Negro dança: de Victor Navarro, Del verde al amarillo, Gadget, Elgar e Micaretas; de Luis Arieta, Primeira oração; de Sônia Mota, Gente, Sexteto para dez e Quem sabe um dia. Um repertório expressivo para uma companhia tão jovem.

“Agora, estávamos precisando realizar uma nova experiência, que desse ao grupo uma contribuição realmente original”, diz Hulda. A idéia: um balé baseado em roteiro com enredo, perfazendo todo o tempo de um espetáculo.

Francisco Medeiros, diretor teatral que acabava de voltar dos Estados Unidos, foi o escolhido para realizar junto com o Cisne Negro essa experiência.

Preparação entusiasmada — Por enquanto, Francisco Medeiros e a diretora do grupo são discretos ao falar do novo espetáculo. “É tudo bastante simples e, por isso mesmo, muito complexo”, diz Medeiros.

“Mas estamos trabalhando muito e com grande entusiasmo.”

Sem dizer exatamente qual será o roteiro, ele explica que a proposta da montagem é mostrar os dois mundos que as pessoas carregam dentro de si: o do cotidiano, do individualismo, e o das projeções, dos desejos fantasias.

“Queremos dançar esses dois universos e suas interseções.” Para isso, serão utilizadas duas linguagens musicais diversas — peças barrocas e uma partitura de música incidental composta por Flávia Calabi —, que apoiarão os contrastes coreográficos criados por Sônia Mota.

Ficará por conta de José Rubens Siqueira a missão de imaginar uma concepção visual que dê unidade ao conjunto.

Para um grupo acostumado a outro tipo de trabalho e cujo treino básico é feito com a técnica do balé clássico, é uma profunda mudança. E até provocou uma reação, conta Medeiros: “Ressabiados a princípio, após quase dois meses de ensaio eles começaram a perder as apreensões e a entregar-se com entusiasmo à criação do espetáculo.”

Uma luta que se amplia — Como trabalha e consegue sobreviver essa companhia de dança — extremamente bem organizada, com administração, gestão financeira e departamento promocional que funcionam às maravilhas? Para sua diretora, a resposta é simples: “Somos todos obstinados — ou talvez sejamos um pouco loucos: bailarinos, pessoal técnico e de apoio, eu”. Embora o grupo seja profissional, membros não recebem propriamente um salário — ajuda de custo, cachês e participação das rendas de bilheteria têm de ser reforçados com o trabalho como professores de dança ou em outras atividades profissionais.

Quanto à produção dos espetáculos, é uma luta à parte. Hulda explica: “Recorremos a todas as fontes; tudo o que se consegue é lucro: verbas oficiais, doações em dinheiro, doações em material para figurinos e cenários e assim por diante. O trabalho de produção aparece pouco, mas consome muito do nosso tempo e requer grande esforço”.

E em meio a todas essas atividades e preocupações que os bailarinos do Cisne Negro ensaiam um novo passo na história do grupo: até maio, trabalham diariamente na preparação do espetáculo, sempre começando com uma aula de balé clássico para aquecer a musculatura e aprimorar a técnica. Depois de mostrar o resultado desse esforço em São Paulo, o grupo viajará para mostrar seu repertório e o novo trabalho em cidades do interior paulista e nas capitais do Sul do país. Como de hábito, dançarão em teatros, clubes, escolas, espaços alternativos, levando sua arte ao maior número possível de pessoas.

Visão, 5 de abril de 1982

Contribution / Significance

This source is particularly important because it captures IRIBIRI before the premiere and therefore provides evidence of the production’s intentions, working process and artistic context that cannot be reconstructed solely from the finished production credits or the later review.

It also documents a significant moment in the development of Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro: the move from a repertory of separate choreographies towards an extended work combining roteiro, theatrical direction, choreography, visual conception and music within a single performance.

Assessment / Relevance

For Ricardo Viviani’s archive, the article provides important contextual evidence surrounding his participation in IRIBIRI. It places his work as a performer within the company’s wider artistic and professional transformation and establishes a contemporary chronology leading directly to the documented May 1982 premiere.

Archival Material

Source: Visão, 5 April 1982
Article: “Companhia — Um novo passo — O Cisne Negro e sua ‘rentrée’.”
Author: Rui Fontana Lopes
Document type: Contemporary press article / pre-premiere documentation
Related production: IRIBIRI

Relationship

This source is directly related to the IRIBIRI production record and documents the work during its preparation approximately one month before its documented premiere.

It should be read alongside the separate contemporary reception record IRIBIRI — Review Acacio R. Vallim Jr., dated 28 May 1982.

Keywords

Visão; Rui Fontana Lopes; IRIBIRI; Grupo de Dança Cisne Negro; Ricardo Viviani; Hulda Bittencourt; Francisco Medeiros; Sônia Mota; José Rubens Siqueira; Flávia Calabi; São Paulo; Brazilian dance; 1982; rehearsal; production development; contemporary press; dance theatre.


Internal Links

IRIBIRI

IRIBIRI — Review Acacio R. Vallim Jr.


Archival Note: This page forms part of an ongoing personal archive documenting Ricardo Viviani’s professional work and activities over more than four decades. Names and other personal information appear where relevant to the documented work or collaboration. If you believe that information concerning you has been published incorrectly or should be reconsidered, please contact me.

Dance Magazine

Letter from Dance Magazine dated 31 August 1981 confirming Ricardo Viviani as a special correspondent in Brazil.

Type: Publication · Primary Source / Documentation
Date: 31 August 1981
Time-span: 1981
Context: Dance Magazine — special correspondence from Brazil
Publication: Dance Magazine
Location: New York, USA · Brazil
Role: Writer · Special Correspondent
Status: Historical Record — article copy not yet located


Record / Description

This record documents Ricardo Viviani’s professional connection with Dance Magazine in 1981 and his role as a special correspondent in Brazil.

A letter from Dance Magazine, dated 31 August 1981 and signed by Eleanor Rachel Luger, Associate Editor/News, states that Ricardo Viviani was a “special correspondent in Brazil for Dance Magazine.” The letter explains that the magazine was seeking to expand its coverage of Brazil and invited information about activities that could be shared with him.

Ricardo Viviani recalls that his writing for the magazine included an article concerning the Ballet Stadium in Brazil. A copy of that article has not yet been located. The article itself is therefore treated as an existing but presently undocumented publication, pending recovery of the published text or further bibliographic evidence.

Primary Source / Documentation

Letter from Dance Magazine, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, dated 31 August 1981.

The letter is addressed “To whom it may concern” and confirms that Ricardo Viviani was serving as a special correspondent in Brazil for Dance Magazine. It states that the magazine wished to expand its coverage of Brazil and appreciated information about activities that could be shared with him.

The letter is signed by Eleanor Rachel Luger, Associate Editor/News.

Publication

The surviving correspondence establishes Viviani’s position as a special correspondent for Dance Magazine in Brazil. According to Viviani’s recollection, an article concerning the Ballet Stadium in Brazil was written for the magazine. The issue, article title, publication date and published text remain to be identified.

Relationship

This record documents an important early connection between Ricardo Viviani’s activities in Brazil and his developing work in dance writing and documentation. It belongs to the period immediately following his 1981 studies at DANCERSCHOOL in New York and shows an expansion of his professional activity beyond performance and training.

Place / Context

The correspondence originated from Dance Magazine in New York and concerned Viviani’s work as a correspondent in Brazil. The letter provides documentary evidence of this Brazil-based correspondence relationship in 1981.

Archival Material

Original letter from Dance Magazine dated 31 August 1981, scan of the letter, correspondence confirming Ricardo Viviani as Special Correspondent in Brazil, documentation relating to the Ballet Stadium article — copy not yet located, further Dance Magazine documentation to be identified and added.


Continue reading “Dance Magazine”