"The rose, the immortal rose that I do not sing, the one that is weight and fragrance, the one from the black garden in the high night, the one from any garden and any evening, the rose that rises from the delicate ash through the art of alchemy..."
Jorge Luis Borges
This is a creation by the Brazilian choreographer designed specifically for the “square,” for close contact with the audience. As is typical of Márcia Milhazes, the languid fluidity and sensual physicality will animate the three performers and, in turn, will draw the spectators toward an idea of dance that embodies the strength of gesture and the passion of dynamics. A characteristic feature is the three-dimensionality of the set design, a sort of hanging “aquarium” of gems, bearing the signature of artist Beatriz Milhazes. The soundtrack is tasked with persuading and enveloping the audience in three movements: in the first, classical national music; in the second, the modernist notes of Heitor Villa-Lobos; and in the third, an anonymous score from the Baroque 1600s for viola da gamba.
Márcia Milhazes was born and works in Rio de Janeiro. Between 1970 and 1979, she completed her classical training at the School of Theatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro. In 1992, she refined her skills in both dance and choreography at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London. As a professional dancer, she has performed for important companies in both Brazil and England: here she lived for eight years working for the David Massingham Dance Company, the Transitions Dance Company, and the Rambert Ballet. After returning to Brazil, she founded the Márcia Milhazes Companhia de Dança in 1995. She has received numerous awards, including Mambembe (1995), Prêmio APCA (1999, Best Choreography; 2001, Best Show), and the Prize of the International Choreography Festival in Ludwigshafen, Germany (2009). She also engages in educational activities.
