Jorge Garcia Dance Company opened registration for a free workshop with Alício Amaral exploring Cavalo Marinho on Jan 27–29 in São Paulo.
Titled “Do Fundo da Roda ao Pé do Banco! Corporeidades e Sonoridades do Cavalo Marinho”, the sessions run from 1 pm to 5 pm at Jambu Galpão in Vila Romana, on São Paulo’s West Side. Admission is free, with limited spots available.
What the workshop focuses on
Part of the project “A Ilha” by Jorge Garcia Dance Company, the workshop proposes an in-depth investigation of physicalities, sound worlds, and energy qualities present in the traditional Cavalo Marinho practice from Pernambuco’s Zona da Mata Norte region.
Through the relationship between body, rhythm, and play, participants will work on different trupés (steps) and choreographic progressions. The approach highlights action biomechanics, rhythmic pulse, and the ritual dimension of the brincadeira.
Songs, verses, and stage-play
The training path includes an introduction to toadas and loas, verse improvisation, rhythmic studies, and research into the body–music–space relationship. It also covers the dance-game known as magúio (mergulhão).
Another area of study looks at masked characters—how they move, how they “arrive” onstage, and how their presence drives relationships and actions in the scene. The proposal frames Cavalo Marinho as a complex scenic-musical system where dance, music, play, and celebration are inseparable.
Theory and the artist’s background
Alongside the practical work, Alício Amaral will share theoretical and reflective material on Traditional Dance, drawing on his field records, published texts and books, and 29 years of research and lived experience with the tradition.
An actor, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, fiddler (rabequeiro), music director, and researcher, Alício co-founded (with Juliana Pardo) Cia. Mundu Rodá in 2000, supported by São Paulo’s theater funding program in its 32nd and 36th editions. He is also part of the permanent master team at ISTA (International School of Theatre Anthropology), created by Eugenio Barba (Odin Teatret – Denmark).
In 2025, he served as researcher-editor for the book “Mestre Inácio Lucindo – Uma Vida Vivida e Envolvida no Cavalo Marinho Estrela do Oriente (PE)”, backed by Funarte Retomada 2023 – Dance.
Registration (free): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJ2_nosdAapCOUU0_LM0Xb4X67ndElT4hzL5Wghdl4DKs1hA/viewform?usp=dialog
Instagram: @munduroda and @alicio.rabeca
Service information
Workshop “Do Fundo da Roda ao Pé do Banco! Corporeidades e Sonoridades do Cavalo Marinho” – with Alício Amaral.
Dates: January 27, 28, and 29 (Tuesday to Thursday)
Time: 1 pm to 5 pm
Venue: Jambu Galpão
Address: Rua Marco Aurélio, 564 – Vila Romana – São Paulo/SP, Brazil
Limited spots | Audience: dance, theater, audiovisual artists, and those interested in Brazilian popular culture research
Registration open until Jan 24: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJ2_nosdAapCOUU0_LM0Xb4X67ndElT4hzL5Wghdl4DKs1hA/viewform?usp=dialog
FREE
Photo: Divulgação
