Hailing from Rio de Janeiro’s Favela de la Maré, Lia Rodrigues and her company summon spirits of healing—the encantados—in a jubilant new dance piece that seeks to re-enchant the world and the body. A hundred colored blankets transform the stage, and then the dancers begin their own metamorphoses. A vibrant soundtrack of songs by Brazil’s Mbyá Guaraní people, recorded during a demonstration for land recognition, underscores the ever-present link in Rodrigues’ work between the evocative and the political. Out of stillness, color, and form, Encantado builds to a carnivalesque crescendo of shape-shifting freedom.

The celebrated Brazilian choreographer makes her New York debut at BAM, following performances of Furia at PEAK Performances @ Montclair State University, as part of a long-overdue introduction of her work across the US.

Note: This show contains nudity and may not be appropriate for children.

BRAZIL