Last Updated on September 7, 2025
Brazilian Heat in Sadler’s Wells
Brazil’s finest dance company, the São Paulo Dance Company, has come to the UK on its first UK and Ireland Premiere Tour, (delayed from 2020 and presented by Dance Consortium), presenting a powerful, emotional and exciting triple bill of three Latin-inspired works danced by a very fine troupe of highly trained and charismatic dancers. The works chosen by the wonderful Artistic Director, Inês Bogéa, are Anthem, Gnawa and Agora, which all have Brazilian or Spanish influence; a much-appreciated tonic in these cold February days.
The audience on Saturday night was full of Brazilian supporters and this added to the flavourful feel, as they were eager to enjoy their homeland company which has been described as ‘sleek, sexy and highly technical’ (The New Yorker) and ‘The best company in Brazil’ (The Dancing Times).
The evening began with Anthem, which was created for the São Paulo Dance Company in 2019 by Goyo Montero, the Spanish dancer, ballet director and choreographer. He has choreographed works for many dance companies including Acosta Danza (where he is Resident Choreographer), the Cuban National Ballet and Nuremberg Ballet. Anthem is an emotional work for 14 virtuosic dancers which explores the theme of life cycles and collective identities that bring people meaning and enable them to face injustice, violence, civil strife and oppression, relying for motivation and inspiration on their collective songs and anthems. Beginning with a dramatic opening sequence where dancers shake their hands to the music and mouth sounds of shock, Anthem continues to grow as the dancers move intensely to the music in amazing collective moves, beautifully timed, and come out of the group to dance in groups of two or solo. Through their passionate dancing, they could portray their sadness at their struggles and their shared sorrowful memories. They are all dressed simply and are covered in chalk, surrounded by smoke. The lighting (Pedro de Christo and André Boll) was very effective, used against the grey smoky background, with a long strip light at one point and a heavenly-like beam. The incredible soundtrack was by Owen Belton, a haunting score with instruments interspersed with sounds of breathing, the sound of breaking glass, gunshots and voices, including a plainchant-like drone.
The second work of the evening was Gnawa, created in 2005 by Nacho Duato who is the Artistic Director of the Mikhailovsky Ballet. He was inspired both by his home Valencia surrounded by sea and sun and by the Gnawa people of North Africa, a group brought originally by the Berber from West Africa to Morocco as slaves and who have a particular Islamic fellowship, who have many religious songs and rhythms and practice healing rituals. This was a beautifully fluid and mesmerising work, elegant and lyrical.
I loved the way it started with the dancers, the men in cream trousers and the women in black dresses, bringing in lanterns, and this theme is used again at the end, this time with a couple at the front, with a female dancer, presenting a lamp, being lifted into the air towards heaven by her partner. This same couple, Ammanda Rosa and Nielson Souza, also had a stunning pas de deux which was strong yet sensual. The music was created by seven composers inspired by the hypnotic and ritualistic music of North Africa and the use of voices, drums, flute, guitar and the rhythm of the drums was very effective as were the jungle sounds and sounds of running water and bird song.
The final work was Agora, which was vibrant and dynamic, emanating great energy and style. It was choreographed in 2019 by Cassi Abranches, who is a Brazilian choreographer and former dancer with Grupo Corpo, a famous Brazilian dance theatre company founded in 1975. Cassi Abranches explores time and rhythm and fuses the dancing with Afro-Brazilian rhythms and the drum beats and bass riffs of the score by Sebastian Piracés. I loved the start when the dancers groove side to side to the tick-tock of a metronome beat, and they return to this at the end. The dancing is exhilarating, spectacular and very athletic. It is a very colourful work with the dancers dressed in cinnamon, brown and yellow. A real highlight, which drew gasps from the audience, was when a female dancer threw herself feet first at her partner who caught her dramatically and we were treated to this a few times. This was a very joyful and vibrant work and the dancers demonstrated their amazing classical technique blended into contemporary style, and also their athletic strength.
The Artistic Director, Inês Bogéa, describes São Paulo Dance Company as ‘a classical contemporary repertory company’. It was created in January 2008 by the Government of the State of São Paulo. Inês Bogéa is a dancer, a doctor of arts, a documentary maker, a writer and also the Educational Director of the São Paulo Dance School. She has grown the company for 16 years to be a company of varied repertoire, classical to contemporary. There are two parts of the company, a travelling part that performs the contemporary works (of which there are over 80) and the one that remains in São Paulo which performs more of the classics such as Giselle. Over the years the Company has received over 50 awards and nominations such as the Critic’s Choice of Dance Europe 2018/2019.
At the end of the performance, the audience was moved and exhilarated and gave a standing ovation, so buy your tickets now for their upcoming shows around the UK and enjoy some Brazilian heat.
The São Paulo Dance Company will be touring the country until the end of March. The next performance will be in Southampton on 13th – 14th February at The Mayflower Theatre and then at various UK destinations. Find out more and book here
Sadler’s Wells
Rosebery Ave,
London
EC1R 4TN
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