Zo 16 jun 2024: Eu não sou só eu em mim by Grupo Cena 11 in Amsterdam

One of Brazil’s most important and daring dance companies will present an energetic piece that questions and affirms identity and unicity through dance, technology and philosophy.

Grupo Cena 11 has been around since 1995 and is known as a group of rebellious punks who free their dance from all rules - call it ‘anarchic choreography’ - to music that ranges from hard beats to piano. (AI) technology will be used to complement the body, while language and projected text further bolsters their energetic dance style.

The latest piece by the group of seven dancers and a pianist led by Alejandro Ahmed is a response to the work of anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro, who wrote about the people of Brazil (O povo brasileiro) in the 1990s. What is identity, and what is culture, specifically in a country where people of many different cultures and backgrounds live together? With new questions and movements, Eu não sou só eu em mim (‘I’m Not Just Me in Myself`) shows Brazilian identity to be unique in its fluidity and constant change.

‘I’m not just me in myself

I’m a tapestry of experiences, memories, and ideas

I`m ever changing and ever growing

I’m a complex individual who is constantly learning and defining who I am

I am a diverse mix of values, beliefs, opinions

I’m not just me in myself – that’s true, everybody is made up of the people and experiences they’ve encountered in their life’

(excerpts from the piece)