Vera is premiering a new work titled Rezas e Folhas (“Prayers & Leaves”)
Rezas e Folhas is born out of Vera Passos’s unique creative approach, which masterfully blends traditional African-Brazilian and Indigenous dances and rhythms with experimental choreography and poignant storytelling. Passos translates the dances and rhythms of Orixá Ossain (the owner of the sacred leaves), and Orixá Obaluaiyê (the bearer of epidemic diseases), the dances of the Caboclos (Indigenous Brazilian spirits) into her contemporary gestural language. Rezas e Folhas seeks to act as a ritualized intervention within this reality, uplifting our sacred connection to earth–and the Black and Indigenous knowledge from the Caboclo and Orixá practices that preserve this wisdom–as key to our collective reimagining of alternate life-affirming futures that have the power to heal.
We look forward to seeing you all experience a performance of a lifetime!
Choreography by Vera Passos
Musical Composition by Kevin Moore II, Nery Madrid, Cody Perkins
Natalia Spadini Co-Composer for The Universe Rains
The show is FREE, OUTDOORS, and open to ALL-AGES. On-site parking is available for $10 cash.
Date: July 8
Time: 6 - 10pm PST
Opening set by DJ Muñeka (@samanthablakegoodman).
Location: Grand Performances, 350 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90071
“Nourishment inherited from our ancestors, the reflection of ancient and spiritual stories, show us ways to understand our body, home of our memories that bring cures and healing. We welcome you friends in this encounter tonight affirming our potential to heal in community celebration. Samba Reggae has become my language, my way of telling the world about the powerful women who make Bahia, a Motherland. For me, Samba Reggae is the energy of connection of all bodies as drums (corpo tambor) that trace (design) the world with rhythm summoning the ancestral voices to announce that there is an ongoing feminine revolution. Samba Reggae is a soundtrack that connects women to carry out the ancestral mission of vibrating love in the universe.”
-Vera Passos
From the Artistic Directors
Viver Brasil is filled with gratitude and excitement to return to the concert stage in Los Angeles for the premiere of Rezas e Folhas, a work in progress by the extraordinary and magnificent, Vera Passos, our newest Co-Artistic Director. We the ADs have the pleasure to work with a multi-generation of exquisite dancers and musicians who truly are the creative voices of the company fueling and empowering our world as the company addresss anti-blackness, building joyful community and honoring ancestral memory and wisdom.
Additionally, we welcome our special guest, Viviam Caroline who enlivened our Samba in the Streets program this past May and June as she reconnected Viver Brasil to one of our most important community homes, Leimert Park. Through the power of the drum and samba reggae rythms we have widened our circles of powerful community members and professionals as you will witness tonight.
We say MUITO OBRIGADO to our Executive Director, Natalie Marrero who leads us with fierce love and strategy, giving opportunities for expansion and growth to an amazing administrative staff.
And to our Board of Directors for supporting all of us and forwarding the mission of the company as we grow and grow!
We thank our elder, Egbomi Cici who guides us, who prays for our strength to create largely and boldly, and who generously shares her peaceful balance so faithfully to us.
Tonight we offer to you, our audience, a healing in motion and sound.
With axé, Linda Yudin, Vera Passos and Luiz Badaró
Viver Brasil recognizes that we occupy land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh, and Chumash Peoples in Los Angeles, CA, and by the Tupi-Guarani Peoples in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. We honor and pay respect to their elders and descendants — past, present, and emerging — as they continue their stewardship of the lands and waters.
Special Guest Percussionists & Dancers
Samantha Blake Goodman
LaroyeAna Leneman
Michela Melone
Nagode Simpson
Shelby Williams-Gonzalez
Musicians
Luiz Badaró, Percussion
Nery Madrid, Composer, Percussion
Kevin Moore, Guest Musical Director, Co-Composer/Drums, Percussion
Cody Perkins, Composer/Sound Architect
Natalia Spadini, Singer/Co-Composer for Rain
Viviam Caroline, Special Guest, Percussion
Rene Fisher Mims
Sinaa D. Greene
Janet “Djembejan” Nicholson
Roneika Pinkney
Cheryl V. Denson
Adia Wilson
LewaNana Pinkney
Jennifer Knight
Joy Alsanders
Teresa Smith
Makeda Jackson
VIVER BRASIL
Natalie Marrero, Executive Director
Linda Yudin & Luiz Badaró, Co-Founders/Co-Artistic Directors
Vera Passos, Co-Artistic Director/Choreographer
Administrative Team
Nicolea Pettis, Programs and Productions Associate
Marketing Associate
Bryce McCaine
Production and Fundraising Associate
Production Associates
Michela Melone, Monica Moskatow & Angelica Flores
Seamstress
Mrs Madrid
2023 Summer Interns from the University of Chicago
Kaitlin Langille, Social Media & Marketing
Maddie Mathes, Executive Assistant
Aiyana Leigh, Programs & Productions
Board of Directors
Kamaya Jones, President
Lisa Nailah Morris, Secretary
Carol Frank, Treasurer
Carolina Timóteo de Oliveira
Sarah Baltazar
Cultural Consultants
Nancy de Souza e Silva AKA Egbomi Cici
Paula Santos
Visual Artist of Orixa Coloring Pages
Videographer
Scott Lehman
Many thanks to the entire staff of Grand Performances, Marina Magalhães, Freddie Yudin, who donated to Reza e Folhas, Tamara Williams, Babalorixa Rychelmy Imbiriba, Iyakekere Daisy Santos, the families of Viver Brasil Artists, Gayle Hooks and the Ebony Repertory staff, and Casa de Cultura SoMovimento.
We would like to thank the following donors for their generous support of Rezas e Folhas, a work-in-progress this evening at Grand Performances.
Kamaya Jones
Robinson Wentworth Family Fund
Felicia Rosenfeld
Freddie Yudin
Linda Yudin