CriticalDance Forum

Grupo Corpo
By Rose Jennings for The Observer

To call the dancers' movements unabashed would be something of an understatement. Lecuona takes as its target all those nearly violent gestures that stand in for sex in movies of a certain age and temperament.

The girl who 'lovingly' piggybacks her beau, the despairing suitor who buries his face 'adoringly' in his lovely's skirts, the woman 'kittenishly' batting her lover's face... well, we know what that's all about, don't we?

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O Corpo/Lecuona
By Gavin Roebuck for The Stage


Grupo Corpo are one of Brazil’s most successful contemporary dance ensembles. They use Afro-Brazilian dance moves with classical ballet to latin music.

O Corpo started their dance show with a sequence of flashing red lights as a background for 20 dancers dressed in black costumes performing the rather gymnastic choreography of Rodrigo Pederneiras to a recording of the pulsating music of Arnaldo Antunes.

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Mr Dougill is NOT a fan:

Grupo Corpo
By David Dougill for The Sunday Times


There was much cheering at a packed Sadler’s Wells for the opening night of the Brazilian contemporary-dance company Grupo Corpo, and a lot of people had come determined to party. The most encouraging thing I can say of this troupe, founded 30 years ago and on a UK tour, is that its 22 dancers are attractive and full of stamina. My own stamina ran out long before the end of the first piece on this double bill, O Corpo — an interminable 42 minutes.


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Well, Grupo Corpo brought two contrasting works to BAM in Brooklyn, NYC: Lecuona, a ballroom-inspired series of duets, and Onqoto, a hybrid modern dance-Afro Brazilian concoction.

The former work showcased the company's agility and flawless technique -- they executed the most difficult lifts so elegantly that it's easy to forget how much effort it must take. However, I found the work tedious with my attention span beginning to wane aftet only half of the series of eight to ten duets. With all these talented dancers available, choreographer and artistic director Rodrigo Pederneiras could have used the talent pool in a more creative way.

While Lecouna exuded elegance, Onqoto was about the "Big Bang," or so the program notes claim but then again the notes was written so esoterically that one can't be too sure... Ultimately, the work represented a huge canvas that drew from modern dance, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, hip-hop and did I see some Broadway jazz moves too? Madonna would have been comfortable in this piece. Nevertheless, the crowd thoroughly enjoyed it. Rhythmic drumming can always get a crowd excited.

Seattle press reviews of Grupo Corpo's March 2-4, 2006 performances at the University of Washington's Meany Hall in Seattle. Alice Kaderlan in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Seattle P-I

Mary Murfin Bayley in the Seattle Times:

Seattle Times

After seeing the O Corpo/Lecuona programme in Birmingham last year I bought the DVD as soon as I could. O Copro is a piece I feel that I will never get bored of, it's one of those unique works that come along once in a rare while which you know you'll never see anything like again.

well....that's my opinion anyway!

Grupo Corpo returns to the University of Washington World Dance Series at Meany Hall, April 2-4, 2009. Michael Upchurch previews the program in the Seattle Times:

Seattle Times

Grupo Corpo performed at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival. Alice Bain reviews the performance in The Guardian.

The Guardian

In the Seattle P-I, Alice Kadderlan reviews Grupo Corpo's appearance at the University of Washington's Meany Hall on Thursday, February 3, 2011.

Seattle P-I

Michael Upchurch reviews the Thursday, February 3, 2011 performance at the University of Washington's Meany Hall in the Seattle Times.

Seattle Times