Serafim Ponte Grande

2012 Collision of Oswald de Andrade
and Vilém Flusser in media-dance.

Introduction

In the past years Brazil has seen immense changes in its social and anthropological organization. Changes that were fore- but un-seen by Vilém Flusser.

An acceleration and collision of Vilém Flusser’s views with the current practice of Brazilian theater and dance is the object of this research.

The project aims at catapulting Oswald de Andrade’s modernistic writings ‘Serafim Ponte Grande’ one hundred years later into the post-historic subset and clashing it some of Flusser’s concepts. Andrade discourses about a nomadic alter-ego – Serafim Ponte Grande in his excursions in the European early 20th century (1912).

This work is materialized in a reworking of the dramaturgy of a Tanztheater piece with music by Villa-Lobos (Köln 1992) for the group of the dance company from Palácio das Artes, Belo Horionte, MG Brazil, de-materializing it as video-HD recording in Brazil and re-assembling it during a residency at the Vilém Flusser Archiv colliding with text and concepts of Brazil, nomadism, and kitsch by Flusser.

The work would then put in the information networked-pool losing geography and temporality.

Manhãs de Minas – Oswald de Andrade

O teu cabelo é da cor das manhãs de Minas!O teu beijo é quente como o sol do Rio de Janeiro,Quando teus lábios reviram nos meus me envolvem do calor das águas de minha terra,O teu corpo é frio como o sepulcro do meu!Quando sais no foquestrotes aí por esses hotéis, na podridão das orquestras , sinto as tuas duas pontas espetarem o  meu coração enquanto a minha lança se revolta contra a tua virgindade,Minha mão em concha apanha a tua bundaQuente , viva, musculosa e buliçosa,Encosto a cabeca na tua, aí por esses foquestrotes, por esses Charlestões,Encosto a língua na tua, mole, babosa, salivosa.

… Um dies zu erfassen, ist es zwar einfach, aber zu billig, Etymologie zu Hilfe zu rufen. Es ist zwar rich­tig, daß der Sitzende be-sitzt, und der Fahrende er-fährt, oder daß der Sitzende in der Gewohnheit wohnt und der Fahrende Gefahr läuft. … Vilém Flusser – Nomadische Überlegungen

Blue Danube @ DanceSpace NYC 1986


Alternatives: Vimeo Outside Germany: YouTube

reviews

The Village Voice by Bruce Supree

Serious Talk – New York City

… Darkly handsome, Viviani has the masculine power of the young Robert Mitchum, but he’s hot, not cool. Joining Hartley for Serious Talk, he’s slightly menacing, controlled, agressive — but unhurried. A ’40s film noir, Mickey Spillane kind of guy — but he doesn’t lay a hand on her. … Viviani’s in formal pants, black suspenders, a sleeveless undershirt. He slowly raises his arms, folds them across his chest. He points his index finger, then with the other hand pushes softly in the opposite direction with measured force. Repeating gestures, speeding them up, adding more, he produces a steady flow of contradictory impulses, while playing off the waltz rhythms. He opens his hands with a kind of helpless strength, then draws them in to his chest and cringes. The accelerating repetition of impassioned gestures gradually builds as unbearable pressure of feeling in him.

The New York Times
by Jennifer Dunning

Blue Danube – New York City

… Mr. Viviani, a relatively new choreographer, took simple themes and dealt with them with admirable simplicity … The quality of movement is most subtle and interesting in “Blue Danube,” set to the Strauss waltz, its message is mystifying. Mr. Viviani and Cheryl Hartley were personable dancers.

The Time Tunnel: A Chorus Line 1983

Ricardo Viviani as Greg

It was a singular sensation being touched by the line, as you can see in this picture.

Ricardo Viviani playing Greg in ‘A Chorus Line’.

Some well known actors can seen in this picture.

Can you name the people?

‘ACL’ in São Paulo * April 15th, 1983.