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.
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
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.
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.
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
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 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 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, 19820405 — Visão 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, 19820405 — Visão 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
…”Mr. Perry moves his 12 dancers about the tiny space impressively, giving them big jumps – crisply executed -and runs for a note of urgency.” Jennifer Dunning
…”A delicate, flowing measure was peformed by Elizabeth Zengara, well-partnered by Ricardo Viviani”
Jacob’s Pillow is a very special place. The school is a summer camp; the students live in cabins scattered around the woods of the Berkshire Mountains. The program includes an intensive dance education with 5 dance classes per day. The scholarship program also includes work on the many skills needed for running a dance performance: this way the students are also involved in the performances presented at the Dance Festival.
“The Pillow” first introduced me to Bessie Schönberg, Liz Thompson, Manuel Alum, Bill Irwin, the Kathakali Dance of India and so many other people.
”Bessie Schönberg, who heads our choreography department was most impressed with Ricardo’s sense of invention.”
Ernie Pagnano teaches with a touch so light and lifting that your spirits rise right along with your grandes battements. He has an internal graciousness that enables him to lend something of himself to students so that, despite the demanding nature of a two-hour ballet class, you experience the steady rising of your stamina, your pleasure, and your freedom of movement.
Mr. Pagnano brings to his classes valuable lessons learned from a long and shining dance career. He has worked with some of the finest companies in the world including the Joffrey Ballet, New York City Opera, Jack Cole, Alvin Ailey, Harkness Ballet, Lar Lubovitch, Berlin Ballet, Cliff Keuter, and the Netherlands Dance Theater-, as well as on tile Broadway stage. Though he sustained knee injuries in the very early years of his career, determination and the help of his mentor Maggie Black enabled Mr. Pagnano to continue his professional dance career for another twelve years.
Although he has studied with many fine teachers, Mr. Pagnano states that success in overcoming his injuries must be attributed to Miss Black’s teaching methods: “Maggie taught me a placement so high in the hip, that I no longer sat in my knees. This is the placement that I want to spread with my teaching; it is a placement that protects the dancer.”
Ernie Pagnano, died in 1987.
Did you take classes with Ernie? Tell us about your experience.
Type: Dance Work / Piece · Class / Teaching Date: 6 February 1981 – 24 April 1981 Time-span: February–April 1981 Context: Scholarship study / work-study programme in dance training Location: 400 Lafayette Street, New York, USA Institution / Organisation: DANCERSCHOOL — Dennis Wayne, Artistic Director Role: Dancer · Student Participants: Dennis Wayne; Alyce Katayama; Ernie Pagnano; Marcus Schulkind; other teachers and students — further names to be reconstructed Status: Historical Record — incomplete / ongoing archival reconstruction
DANCERSCHOOL This page documents Ricardo Viviani’s scholarship study at DANCERSCHOOL, located at 400 Lafayette Street in New York City, from 6 February to 24 April 1981. The scholarship combined full-time dance study with daily work duties and became an important period in Viviani’s artistic formation and subsequent international trajectory.
The Work / Creation
This record does not document a choreographic work but a period of intensive dance training. DANCERSCHOOL provided Ricardo Viviani with a scholarship that enabled him to study dance full-time in New York while contributing daily work duties to the school.
In later reflection, Viviani has described the experience as particularly enriching because of its variety of teachers, the intensity of the daily schedule and the opportunity to encounter different approaches to dance training within one environment.
Production
Not applicable as a production record. This entry documents an educational and artistic formation period rather than a staged production.
Performance History
Not applicable as a performance record. The significance of this entry lies in the daily training and work-study structure rather than in a specific performance.
Primary Source / Documentation
Format: Correspondence / Recommendation Letter / Verification Letter / Press Clipping Provenance: Ricardo Viviani Personal Archive Status: Original / Archival scan / Documentary source
A letter dated 24 April 1981, signed by Alyce Katayama on behalf of Dennis Wayne, verifies that Ricardo Viviani was a full-time scholarship student at DANCERSCHOOL from 6 February 1981 to 24 April 1981. The letter states that he attended dance classes daily and also performed daily work duties.
A recommendation dated 30 March 1981 from DANCERSCHOOL, addressed to Liz Thompson at Jacob’s Pillow, states that Viviani had been taking class with Dennis Wayne since September 1980 and describes him as responsible, open and responsive to correction.
A further recommendation dated 13 March 1981 identifies Viviani as a scholarship student at DANCERSCHOOL and describes him as a talented and dedicated young man who worked consistently in class and was dependable and responsible in his scholarship duties.
Research
The surviving documents establish the scholarship period and the combination of daily dance classes with daily work duties. Further research may establish the complete teaching faculty, the structure of the scholarship programme, the history of the DANCERSCHOOL premises at 400 Lafayette Street, and the relationship between the school and other New York dance institutions and programmes.
Personal Reflection
Ricardo Viviani remembers the scholarship as a work-study arrangement. He recalls arriving early in the morning, from approximately 7:00 to 9:00, to carry out cleaning and maintenance duties before taking dance classes throughout the day. He remembers cleaning the mirrors and floors of the newly renovated studio at 400 Lafayette Street, which he recalls as approximately 400 square metres.
This description of the daily routine is preserved as personal recollection. The surviving April 1981 letter independently confirms the existence of daily work duties but does not specify the hours, the precise cleaning tasks or the dimensions of the studio.
Viviani remembers the training as a varied and very enriching experience. Among the teachers who became particularly important to him was Ernie Pagnano. He also remembers other teachers whose names will be added to this record progressively as they are recalled and, where possible, documented.
The later significance of the school’s name and motto also remained with Viviani. The memory of DANCERSCHOOL and its simple identification with “Dancers” became a point of reflection many years later in his presentation Just Call Us Dancers.
Relationship
The relationship with Ernie Pagnano became particularly significant within Viviani’s training at DANCERSCHOOL. Pagnano’s teaching remained an important reference in Viviani’s memory of his New York formation.
Viviani’s later archive record on Pagnano describes his teaching approach and identifies the importance Viviani attributes to him as a teacher. The relationship should be understood as part of the broader network of teachers and artistic encounters that shaped this period of training.
Place / Context
DANCERSCHOOL was located at 400 Lafayette Street in New York City. Viviani remembers the studio as newly renovated at the time of his scholarship and recalls its large studio space as an important physical environment for his daily training.
The address also places this period within the wider New York dance environment in which Viviani was studying, taking classes and developing professional relationships. The experience became a foundation for subsequent opportunities, including his connection with Jacob’s Pillow.
Archival Material
Archival Material:
DANCERSCHOOL scholarship verification letter, 24 April 1981, signed by Alyce Katayama for Dennis Wayne, DANCERSCHOOL; DANCERSCHOOL recommendation letter, 30 March 1981, to Liz Thompson at Jacob’s Pillow; DANCERSCHOOL scholarship recommendation, 13 March 1981; In-Step, April 1981, article on Ernie Pagnano; Dance Magazine, June 1981, article on Musawwir and Toby Towson; In-Step, May 1981, article on Marcus Schulkind; further DANCERSCHOOL material to be identified and added
Cast – Três Ensaios (e o resto) – Bienal de São Paulo 1979
Type: Dance Work / Piece · Production Date: 1979 Context: Dance production presented in the context of the 15th Bienal de São Paulo Location: São Paulo, Brazil Institution / Organisation: Bienal de São Paulo Role: Performer Participants: Sônia Mota — choreographer; Marco Antonio Carvalho — stage and musical director; Grupo Andança — performers Status: Historical Record — documented
Record / Description
Três Ensaios (e o resto) was a dance production created for Grupo Andança and presented in São Paulo in 1979 in the context of the 15th Bienal de São Paulo. Historical and scholarly documentation identifies Sônia Mota as choreographer and places the work’s premiere on 6 November 1979 at the Pavilhão do Parque Ibirapuera. The surviving programme identifies Marco Antonio Carvalho as responsible for stage direction and musical direction and identifies Ricardo Viviani among the performers of Grupo Andança.
The Work / Creation
Três Ensaios (e o resto) was choreographed by Sônia Mota for Grupo Andança. The surviving programme identifies the production as a dance spectacle with a duration of approximately 90 minutes. It also identifies Marco Antonio Carvalho as responsible for stage direction and musical direction.
Screenshot Page 305 – Bienal de São Paulo 1979
Creative Team
Choreography: Sônia Mota Stage Direction: Marco Antonio Carvalho Musical Direction: Marco Antonio Carvalho Music: Keith Jarrett — The Köln Concert Duration: 90 minutes
Performers / Collaborators
Grupo Andança: Ismael Ivo, Sônia Galvão, Calu Ramos, Solange Caldeira, Ricardo, Cláudio, Ary Buccione and Tico.
The surviving programme identifies Ricardo by first name within the listed Grupo Andança cast. The full programme should be retained as the primary source for this identification and for future clarification of the complete names of performers currently listed only by first name.
Group – Três Ensaios (e o resto) – Bienal de São Paulo 1979
Performance / Presentation
6 November 1979 — XV Bienal de São Paulo
Pavilhão do Parque Ibirapuera
São Paulo, Brazil
Historical documentation identifies 6 November 1979 as the premiere of Três Ensaios (e o resto) at the XV Bienal de São Paulo, in the Pavilhão do Parque Ibirapuera.
Artistic Context
Três Ensaios (e o resto) belongs to the contemporary dance environment of São Paulo in the late 1970s and to the professional activity of Grupo Andança. The production was choreographed by Sônia Mota and presented a group of performers including Ismael Ivo and Ricardo Viviani.
The production was presented in the context of the 15th Bienal de São Paulo, held from 3 October to 16 December 1979. The official Bienal documentation describes the 15th Bienal as the “Bienal das Bienais”, providing a broad historical and international context for the event.
Relationship / Professional Collaboration
This production documents an early professional collaboration between Ricardo Viviani and Sônia Mota, who is identified in the surviving programme as the choreographer of Três Ensaios (e o resto).
The programme also documents Ismael Ivo as a member of Grupo Andança in the production. Ricardo Viviani’s later professional collaboration with Ivo should be treated as a distinct subsequent relationship.
Viviani’s first professional collaboration with Ismael Ivo dates from 1996, when he joined the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar as a dancer in Ivo’s company. This later period represents a substantial continuation of the professional relationship documented here, but should not be conflated with the 1979 production.
In 2003, Viviani began choreographing for opera productions at the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar. This represents a further development of his professional practice, moving from his earlier work as a dancer in Ivo’s company into choreography for opera.
Primary Source / Documentation
The principal surviving documentary evidence currently available for this record is the original programme. The programme identifies Sônia Mota as choreographer, Marco Antonio Carvalho as responsible for stage and musical direction, the Grupo Andança performers, and the production duration of 90 minutes. It also provides biographical information about Sônia Mota and documents her professional activity in Brazil and abroad.
Additional scholarly documentation is provided by Sílvia Maria Geraldi’s Raízes da teatralidade na dança cênica: recortes de uma tendência paulistana, a doctoral study at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas documenting and reconstructing the production of Sônia Mota and Célia Gouvêa during the 1970s and 1980s. The research brings together historical documents, photographs, press material and interviews and is therefore particularly relevant to the reconstruction of this period.
The programme is particularly significant because it provides direct contemporary evidence for the production credits and cast. It should therefore take precedence over earlier assumptions concerning individual participation or roles.
Archival Material
1979 — Original programme for Três Ensaios (e o resto), including production credits, cast and biographical information on Sônia Mota 1979 — Photographs of the production / performance 2009 — Sílvia Maria Geraldi, Raízes da teatralidade na dança cênica: recortes de uma tendência paulistana, doctoral thesis, Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Contribution / Significance
Três Ensaios (e o resto) documents an early point in Ricardo Viviani’s professional trajectory and a significant early collaboration with Sônia Mota. The surviving programme also places Viviani within Grupo Andança alongside Ismael Ivo and other dancers active in São Paulo’s contemporary dance environment in 1979.
The work is also significant within the longer professional network documented elsewhere in this archive, connecting early São Paulo collaborations with later work involving Sônia Mota, Ismael Ivo and other artists and institutions.
Assessment / Relevance
The original programme substantially strengthens the documentary status of this record by providing contemporary evidence for the choreographer, direction, musical direction, cast and duration of the production. Additional historical research provides further evidence for the work’s title, premiere date and venue and places the production within the wider development of São Paulo contemporary dance in the period.
Keywords
Três Ensaios (e o resto), Sônia Mota, Ismael Ivo, Grupo Andança, Ricardo Viviani, Marco Antonio Carvalho, Keith Jarrett, The Köln Concert, Bienal de São Paulo, 15th Bienal, contemporary dance, São Paulo, dance, choreography, 1979
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.
