move berlim 2007

The Third Festival of Contemporary Brazilian Dance in Berlin

teamBrazil is on the move. For large parts of the population, living conditions have steadily improved over the last few years. In the cultural sector, major cornerstones have been the decentralization of funding projects and structural measures. Guest performance possibilities, production money and prizes have helped to further the distribution and development of Brazilian dance. From Manaus by the River Amazon down to Porto Alegre all the way in the South of Brazil, the diversity of dance scenes, the range of production conditions, mirror the situation of this gigantic country: of awakenings and stagnation, of feudalistic and democratic political conditions, of great poverty and enormous wealth in the immediate vicinity of each other.

In 2003 we approached the dance continent Brazil with choreographies from a wide range of fields and parts of the country. These sometimes highly political pieces of 2005 illustrated the processes that the country was going through after redemocratization. We saw many faces of Brazil. And this time some of its bellyaches as well: move berlim 2007 presents a number of pieces that examine the political and social fabric of Brazil and its related realities in very complex ways. The reappraisal of one’s own history as part of the history of the entire country plays an important role as well.

We have also chosen some new forms of presentation to clarify and deepen the understanding of what is being presented with the help of dance researchers and performers. Some of the choreographers will also be teaching at the Tanzfabrik Berlin and the Hochschulübergreifende Zentrum Tanz. At the Free University’s Institute for Theater Studies there will be an advanced seminar with a focus on move berlim and its students will also be involved in the festival.

We dedicate this festival to the memory of the incomparable dancer Gica Alioto. She performed in Berlin, which she loved dearly, with Quasar and with Cena 11. This dedication during her lifetime meant a lot to her. We miss her dearly.

We are very glad that move berlim has received funding from the Federal Cultural Foundation and from the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, that Sérgio Mamberti is once again patron of the festival and the Hebbel am Ufer as co-producer once again the site of the festival. – Brasil move berlim!
Wagner Carvalho, Björn Dirk Schlüter

mambertiWelcome Message

Since the first edition of the festival all prognoses concerning the strategic importance of this colorful panorama of Brazil’s cultural diversity have confirmed themselves. This richness of movement has presented itself in a multitude of forms for the dance scene in Brazil and Germany and has resulted in our ability to now be able to present move berlim for the third time.? This cultural bridge has been biannually spanning the gap between the continents since 2003; in 2005 we expanded it to become even more sustainable in 2007. ?The Brazilian Ministry of Culture is proud to be able to contribute to this event, which is beginning to become somewhat of a tradition, by covering the flight costs of all Brazilian artists taking part in the festival. Brazil would like to thank everyone for their continuing involvement and effective partnership that has added to a consolidation of the cultural relations between Brazil and Germany.? It is a great pleasure to once again be able to act as patron of this very significant event, this year dedicated to the memory of the dancer Gica Alioto – who passed away recently – for her outstanding national and international career. Long live move berlim!

Sérgio Mamberti
Secretary of Identity and Cultural Diversity
Brazilian Ministry of Culture