Brazilian Dancers Draw On Roots

Although based in Los Angeles since 1990, the dance company Ballet Folclorico Do Brasil reaches to deep roots in Brazil and Africa to offer up a program of African and Brazilian dance and music.

The troupe will appear in the Inland Northwest for the first time this weekend in a pair of performances - one on the Palouse tonight, the second in North Idaho Saturday.

The dancers and musicians weave a tapestry rich in ethnic influences during their program. A typical evening opens with a dance to “purify and cleanse the performance space” and ends with a combat dance known as “Capoeria,” developed by the African people in Brazil during their struggle to be liberated from slavery.

The program also includes a traditional stick dance originally performed with sugar canes, the “Puxada de Rede,” which celebrates the connections between humans and the ocean, and “Samba de Roda,” an authentic form of samba.

The company’s director, Amen Santo, says the goal of the troupe is to introduce American audiences to the richness of the Afro-Brazilian heritage.

“What we try and show people is that Brazil has more to offer than carnival, sex, beautiful men and women. We try to preserve our culture by combining traditional and contemporary dance,” he says.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: BALLET FOLCLORICO DO BRASIL Location and time: Washington State University Beasley Coliseum, Pullman, tonight, 8; Panida Theater, Sandpoint, Saturday, 8 p.m. Tickets: $20, $16 and $12, $16 and $10 for students, $8-$6 for children under 12; for Pullman performance, available at Beasley Coliseum and the Depot in Pullman, UI Ticket Express in Moscow, Albertson’s in Lewiston and G&B outlets; $12.50, $7 for students for Sandpoint performance, available at Eve’s Leaves and Panhandle State Bank in Sandpoint