São Paulo Dance Company at Brighton Dome – review

Last week (February 27-28) the celebrated Brazilian group took their world tour to the People’s Republic of Brighton and Hove, for a trio of pieces that have been years in the making.

The small matter of a global pandemic put paid to plans for an earlier tour, but the world-beating dance troupe appeared to be making up for lost time.

First up was Anthem by Goyo Montero, an atmospheric and striking piece which explored the importance of community and striving for ways to find common ground in life.

The group ensemble were starkly lit and largely moved as one, beginning slowly with loud breathing and the ticking of time.

They wore skin coloured body suits, splattered with paint and bodies similarly patchily covered, making it difficult to differentiate the dancers from a stage full of muscle and sinew.

A relatively simple backing of acoustic guitar and manipulated voices soundtracked a cycle of life – including birth, confilct and peace, and harder creeping beats and the sounds of marching evoked something darker.

Amid almost automated collective movement the dancers took turns in the spotlight, fusing classical ballet with contemporary dance.

Next up was Gnawa by Nacho Duato, a very spiritual piece propelled by the hypnotic sounds of North African Gnawa rhythms.

Immediately a different tone was struck by spidery strings and steady deep bass grooves

The dancers pulsed with the wild energy of untamed nature, and changing elements were illustrated with simple lighting, conjuring fire, light and darkness as the action moved from day to night.

More soothing strings and ethereal sounds accompanied the beautiful balletic moves, until the intense interplay between two dancers (wild animals?) gave way to something more physical.

Agora, by Cassi Abranches, the final segment of the evening, was a far slinkier affair and the most accessible of the three pieces.

Meaning now in Portuguese, Agora is an evocation to the life and spirit in Brazil.

The piece began in similar fashion to Anthem with a large group of dancers moving as one to the sound of unseen clock but the lighting and the outfits of the dancers had far more colour and vitality with a stage filled with reds, oranges and warm hues.

It’s also worth giving credit to the venue’s unseen technicians, who played their part with excellent sound and vision.

On stage there was more hip-wiggling, to a thoroughly fun blend of Afro-Brazilian electronica, slightly chaotic rhythms and some rather groovy bass lines.

The pounding slightly skronky sounds were reminiscent of the hitherto of unheard of alien dance stomps of Daft Punk’s first album, which in itself is praise indeed.

Dancers leapt (literally) into each others arms, high kicks were absurdly high, the moves were technically superb, as they had been throughout the evening, and gloriously fluent.