Suzana Martins / Universidade Federal da Bahia (Salvadore da Bahia) The Dance of the Orixas 22-26 Aug 12-17h English 130 EUR Suzana Martins was a member of several Brazilian dance companies such as the Grupo de Dança Contemporânea. Since 1974 she has been teaching at the School of Dance at the Federal University of Bahia which was the first dance school to possess a university level in Brazil. The school was founded in 1956 by the choreographers, dancers and teachers Rolf Gelewisk and Yanka Rudska and awards the master’s and the doctor’s degree. The Candomblé of Bahia is a manifestation of the spirituality of African-Brazilian culture that celebrates and worships the divinities known as Orixás. In a ritual of dance, music and chanting the devotees – in a state of ecstasy - embody the supernatural force of the Orixás. The body of the devotees is a medium of communication between the invisible force of the Orixá and the human being. The aim of the workshop is to demonstrate the qualities of the movements and the rhythms of the sacred dances of three male and three female Orixás of the Candomblé of Bahia, Brazil. In addition it will guide the students to combine the qualities of movements of the dance of Orixás to create a dance phrasing. www.teatro.ufba.br/ppgac Photo: N.N.