There are nine of them, all born in Rio’s biggest favelas, offering an uninhibited mix of hip-hop, capoeira, samba, electronic music and bossa nova. Nine of them in a furious search for recognition, trained and presented by Sonia Destri. Their dance – acrobatic, bursting with energy, inventiveness and sometimes violence – points up the tough guy figure they have to play to survive in the urban jungle. In this, their first, explosive trip outside Brazil, excitement all round is guaranteed. 

Source: Biennale de la danse 2006

Sonia Destri Lie is artistic director and choreographer at Companhia Urbana de Dança. Destri traveled throughout Brazil and Europe after completing her studies, working in dance, theater, film and musicals. It was then that she discovered hip-hop dancing and b-boying. She defined her unique and refreshing interpretation of these styles by infusing them with the rich cultural influences of Brazil and the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Her works creatively involve elements of hip-hop, b-boying, contemporary dance and also Brazilian social dances. He received the Best Script Award from the Ford Foundation, the 2011 Staging Award from the State of Rio de Janeiro for the show Eu Danço, the FADA Award from the Rio de Janeiro City Hall (2012, 2013 and 2014), and the Best Choreography Award from Conseil International de la Danse (CID_Unesco). 

Source: Sao Paulo Companhia de  dança

More information: spcd.com.br

Author, filmmaker and video artist Charles Picq (1952-2012) entered working life in the 70s through theatre and photography. A- fter resuming his studies (Maîtrise de Linguistique - Lyon ii, Maîtrise des sciences et Techniques de la Communication - grenoble iii), he then focused on video, first in the field of fine arts at the espace Lyonnais d'art Contemporain (ELAC) and with the group « Frigo », and then in dance.
   On creation of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon in 1980, he was asked to undertake a video documentation project that he has continued ever since. During the ‘80s, a decade marked in France by the explosion of contemporary dance and the development of video, he met numerous artists such as andy Degroat, Dominique Bagouet, Carolyn Carlson, régine Chopinot, susanne Linke, Joëlle Bouvier and regis Obadia, Michel Kelemenis. He worked in the creative field with installations and on-stage video, as well as in television with recorded shows, entertainment and documentaries.

His work with Dominique Bagouet (80-90) was a unique encounter. He documents his creativity, assisting with Le Crawl de Lucien and co-directing with his films Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux and 10 anges. in the 90s he became director of video development for the Maison de la Danse and worked, with the support of guy Darmet and his team, in the growing space of theatre video through several initiatives:
       - He founded a video library of dance films with free public access. This was a first for France. Continuing the video documentation of theatre performances, he organised their management and storage.
       - He promoted the creation of a video-bar and projection room, both dedicated to welcoming school pupils.
       - He started «présentations de saisons» in pictures.
       - He oversaw the DVD publication of Le tour du monde en 80 danses, a pocket video library produced by the Maison de la Danse for the educational sector.

       - He launched the series “scènes d'écran” for television and online. He undertook the video library's digital conversion and created Numeridanse.

His main documentaries are: enchaînement, Planète Bagouet, Montpellier le saut de l'ange, Carolyn Carlson, a woman of many faces, grand ecart, Mama africa, C'est pas facile, Lyon, le pas de deux d'une ville, Le Défilé, Un rêve de cirque.

He has also produced theatre films: Song, Vu d'ici (Carolyn Carlson), Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux, 10 anges, Necesito and So schnell, (Dominique Bagouet), Im bade wannen, Flut and Wandelung (Susanne Linke), Le Cabaret Latin (Karine Saporta), La danse du temps (Régine Chopinot), Nuit Blanche (Abou Lagraa), Le Témoin (Claude Brumachon), Corps est graphique (Käfig), Seule et WMD (Françoise et Dominique Dupuy), La Veillée des abysses (James Thiérrée), Agwa (Mourad Merzouki), Fuenteovejuna (Antonio Gades), Blue Lady revistied (Carolyn Carlson).

Source: Maison de la Danse de Lyon

Companhia Urbana de Dança directed by Sonia Destri Lie is today one of the most renowned companies in Rio de Janeiro. Carrying out a meticulous research work on Brazilian cultural roots and placing this material in dialogue with contemporary trends in urban dance, it produces a very rich and powerful scenic and choreographic material. The shows bring the identities of their dancers, their references and attitudes, a Carioca, Brazilian and Afro-descendant accent, at the same time translatable to the world, affirmatively inserting itself in what is most contemporary in urban dance. They highlight the talents of young black and poor Brazilians in modernity, in an affirmative and pluralist posture.  

Source: Sao Paulo Companhia de  dança

More information: spcd.com.br