Dancing against the current

In recent weeks, a different kind of activity has taken over one of the rooms at the Grupo Corpo Dance School in Belo Horizonte. Instead of being filled with leaps and turns, the space has given way to the set assembly line for the company's new work, "Piracema," which premiered on Wednesday the 13th at the Sérgio Cardoso Theater in São Paulo and will tour eight Brazilian states between September and October.

The idea, proposed by artistic director Paulo Pederneiras, was to line the stage with sardine can lids—specifically, 82,000 of them, covering the interior of the stage. In total, 30 technicians divided their time between cutting the pieces, attaching rings, and attaching them, one by one, to 280 screens that, hung under the light, transform into a gigantic panel, shimmering like the scales of the fish evoked by the play's title.

Artisanal and collective, the work epitomizes Grupo Corpo's unique creative style. With soundtracks composed by renowned MPB artists such as João Bosco, Gilberto Gil, Lenine, and Arnaldo Antunes, and a distinctive style developed by choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras, the company discovered a formula for success and became an undisputed reference in Brazilian dance.

The beginning of this remarkable story, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025, dates back to the 1970s, when six brothers from the Pederneiras family decided to pursue their dream of making a living from this art. At their parents' home in Belo Horizonte, each brother handled a different aspect of the shows. Their artistic quest was clear: they explored a gesture and a visual style capable of highlighting the country's cultural richness.

This gave rise to the performance with hip-driven movements, which is highlighted by the show 21 (1992). This style of dancing, with undulations that reflect Brazilian folk dances, but combined with codified dance techniques, would recur in all subsequent works.

Founded in 1975, the company debuted in 1976. It was for this ballet that Milton Nascimento created Maria, Maria—the title of the piece. In other words, if it weren't for the family endeavor, one of Milton's most famous songs might not have existed.

Perhaps there was also no Xique-xique, a composition by Tom Zé for Parabelo (1997) that became the most danced in the company's history and is part of the anniversary tour program. Or Mortal Loucura, by Caetano Veloso and José Miguel Wisnik, with verses by Gregório de Matos, which gave rise to a sublime scene in Onqotô (2005) and later ended up on the soundtrack of the soap opera Velho Chico (2016).

In this well-oiled process, each artist contributes pieces of a puzzle that only makes sense when viewed as a whole. So when Paulo suggested bringing a new person to life for the 50th anniversary piece, there was a sense of apprehension. For the first time, Rodrigo would be sharing his role with someone else—in this case, choreographer Cassi Abranches.

The proposal involved splitting the cast in half. Each half would perform a complete ballet, with 11 dancers, set to an original score commissioned from Clarice Assad, the first woman to compose for the Corps. With both pieces completed, both teams came together to transform them into a single work.

"We practically didn't communicate while we were working. When we finished and got together, at times what we did complemented each other, at others it clashed drastically," explains Rodrigo. "I have a slightly more withdrawn movement, while Cassi's is more forward. We had to find a way to make things fit together. It was very strange, but very enjoyable."

With soundtracks composed by renowned names in MPB and its own language, the company discovered a formula for success.

Cassi's success was aided by the fact that she was a homegrown talent. As a dancer, she performed various company repertoires for 12 years. Between rehearsals and tours around the world, she learned everything about the behind-the-scenes workings of a major company, and when she decided to pursue a career as a choreographer, she took these lessons with her.

“At the beginning of the production, I kept thinking, 'Now he's probably thinking about using two people, so I'll put in five more.' But I soon realized I needed to create from what I had studied and developed as a line of movement,” she says.

After a decade of producing commissioned pieces for various groups in Brazil and abroad—including a stint as director of the São Paulo City Ballet—Cassi returned to Minas Gerais at the invitation of the Pederneiras to take on the role of resident choreographer. Her arrival is aimed at the group's longevity—something sought by other movements as well.

To design Piracema's costumes, Paulo recruited siblings Susana Bastos, a fashion designer, and Marcelo Alvarenga, an architect. He was a student of Freusa Zechmeister (1941–2024), who dressed the dancers for four decades and helped cement the Corps' visual identity.

"Freusa has always loved Marcelo's work, which is a great sign. It was a gamble on our part. It's going to be very different from anything else," says Paulo, who is also responsible for the lighting alongside Gabriel Pederneiras, Rodrigo's son and Cassi's husband.

The involvement of new generations broadens the meaning of Piracema. The word, of Tupi origin, refers to the crossing made by schools of fish against the river's flow to find a safe place to spawn. By doing so, they ensure their own continuity. The name, says Cassi, couldn't be more fitting: "After all, who has been making art for 50 years in Brazil without swimming against the current?"

Published in issue no. 1375 of CartaCapital , on August 20, 2025.

This text appears in the print edition of CartaCapital under the title 'Dancing against the current'