I walked into the Weis Center and the lights were bright. I did not know what type of dances and music to expect today. I took a seat on the right side of the crowd and waited for the performance.
The Ori event opened up with live music from the Penn state lecturer Pepe Barcellos; he sang and played the guitar for us. The music was very upbeat and lively. My head moved with the beat. As Pepe played a song, I remember him saying he is taking us to Rio de Janeiro. The song he was going to play was a piece he wrote on New Years Eve. It is about following your dreams. “It’s about saying goodbye. If you don’t say bye, you can’t say hi again,” Pepe said. Like the others, this song was very upbeat and lively. He closed out by playing Telecoteco on the tamborim, a small, high-pitched Brazilian drum widely used in samba, pagode, bossa nova, and choro.
Now it was time for the dancers. Bucknell Professor of Dance, Jaraum Xavier, and Brazilian choreographer and performer, Wody William Sanatana, collaborated for this dance. Blending Brazilian rhythms, Ori uses grounded movements to reimagine Brazilian heritage on a modern stage.
The music throughout the dances was very calm. The dancers were very intentional with every move. The lights added lots of effect to the piece. At moments the light would shine on one dancer, most times on both, and sometimes on none. The use of different lighting throughout really made the dance feel more lively even with its slow beat.
Overall I really enjoyed the event. Between both the live music and the dance, I learned a lot about Brazilian culture.
Ahmed Omo ‘28