Dance becomes vehicle for a warning in Black Feather
On Sunday (March 27), the controversial far-right president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, is scheduled to launch his reelection campaign. More than 10,000 kilometres away from the capital of Brasilia, a former resident is putting the finishing touches on a dance show inspired by Bolsonaro’s incompetence.
In a phone interview with the Straight, Lamondance artistic director and resident choreographer Davi Rodrigues talked about Black Feather, which he describes as a spinoff of Swan Lake. The full-length production will have its world premiere on April 29 at the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts in North Vancouver; a 15-minute excerpt is scheduled at the Dance Centre on April 3 as part of Open Stage #2.
“Black Feather is about a swan—this creature,” Rodrigues explains. “He carries a curse and he needs to pass the curse to someone to take his position.”
Sadly, he chooses another swan to carry the curse—and this one is very ill-prepared to hold such authority.
“The creature, this swan, gets blinded by the power and starts to destroy everything,” Rodrigues says. “He is the curse.”
Bolsanaro’s curses have included utterly mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic to the point where Brazil ranks second in total deaths from the disease. His homophobia, mass deforestation of the Amazon, and love of authoritarianism and torture have made him a villain to progressives around the world.
All of this prompts the Straight to ask if the former president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, plays any role in this production?
“There is no Dilma,” Rodrigues replies with a laugh. “I got inspired by what happened to my country, but whoever is watching the piece won’t see any president or any commentary about politics.”
The lighthearted Rodrigues describes Black Feather as beautiful, poetic, and gorgeous before quipping that he’s biased because he’s the choreographer. But the 50-minute piece contains a serious message. It’s intended to convey the potential consequences of turning over power to a new face simply because people want a change.
“We don’t foresee what’s going to happen from giving it to someone who’s not prepared,” Rodrigues says.
Lamondance was founded in 2009 by Monica Proença and Lara Barclay to help emerging dancers make the transition to becoming professionals. Rodrigues joined the company in its first season as a dancer and guest choreographer after a distinguished career in Brazil. In 2014, he became the sole artistic director of the company, which has 12 performers and a separate training program. He is now a Canadian citizen.
“My vision has always been to create a ground where emerging artists can have a platform to continue to train but also to work as professionals, because at Lamondance, we serve two different streams,” Rodrigues says.
When evaluating potential dancers, he pays a great deal of attention not only to their talent but also to their energy and ability to collaborate with others.
“I always think we all have dreams and goals, but when we are in a collective, my goal and my dream can be elevated because my dancer beside me is going through this journey of searching for their dreams and goals,” he adds. “Together we can help each other.”
If only that spirit of collaboration existed within the office of Brazil’s president.
The Dance Centre will present Lamondance’s 15-minute excerpt from Black Feather on April 3 as part of Open Stage #2.