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.