Nicinha Raizes de Santo Amaro

This long-established folkloric troupe from the Bahia region of Brazil is comprised of dancers and percussionists who have kept the roots of Maculêlê and Samba alive throughout their lives. These unassuming people are true artists - they connect themselves and others to the joy of being alive through music and movement and their simple, sincere enjoyment of dance.

The members of Nicinha Raizes de Santo Amaro hold a deep understanding of the Orixas rhythms of the Candomblé religion, as well as of the subtleties of Samba de Roda, Samba de Caboclo, and Chula. They also have a direct relationship to the origins of Maculêlê, an Afro-Brazilian tradition originating in the sugar cane plantations of Bahia, using energetic, interactive rhythmic movements involving canes or sticks. Maculêlê was developed into a performance art by Mestre Popo, who was born into slavery on a sugar plantation, and grew up watching his parents work the fields and learning the songs they sang to lighten the work. After slavery was abolished, Popo organized the first group to perform Maculêlê songs and movements at community festivals. Popo adopted a homeless boy named Vava Martins, who continued the tradition with a troupe he called Netos de Popo, meaning "Grandsons of Popo." Nicinha married Vava and became the first woman to perform Maculêlê. Vava has passed on, but Nicinha and their sons, Ailton and Valmir, continue to perform with the troupe, now called Nicinha Raizes de Santo Amaro. The troupe has been featured in documentaries about Bahian culture, and has represented the region in national arts festivals in Rio de Janeiro, São Paolo, and Brasilia. They have performed in Germany as well.

Conceição Damasceno, President and Artistic Director of BrasArte, encountered Nicinha Raizes de Santo Amaro over ten years ago when she watched them perform in a festival tent in Salvador, Bahia, representing the traditional cultural expression of the region. She was immediately impressed by the whole-hearted purity of the dancers' movements and by their joyful connection to each other. She studied with the group in their village to deepen her own relationship to the dance tradition in which she had grown up. Soon Conceição was bringing groups of her American students to Brazil to study with the group.

In Conceição's words: "Nicinha Raizes de Santo Amaro is probably one of the oldest folkloric groups in Brazil, and one of the last that is authentic. This form of dance allows so much to happen through music and movement. These people don't have easy lives at all, but they manage to be happy. I think that is the important message to all of us, that just to be alive is such a huge gift! I want to give recognition to the value of our own Bahian folkloric tradition. I once left it behind, thinking it was 'nothing much,' but I've come to understand how deeply it has affected my life I know American audiences will benefit from experiencing their dance and music too."


BrasArte is proud to have brought this group of traditional artists to the Bay Area to perform and teach. It is our mission to facilitate cross cultural experiences for both Bay Area residents and Brazilian artists. During the weeks of their stay, the group performed in many venues, including Mistura Brasileira IV. They also taught numerous workshops in dance and drumming around the Bay Area, spreading their deeply held beliefs, their skill and their enthusiasm for life.


Nicinha Raizes de Santo Amaro performing in
Mistura Brasileira IV, Cowell Theater, San Francisco, January 2001


CANDOMBLÉ

Afro-Brazilian sects are becoming increasingly popular in Brazil with people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds. There are a variety of religious groupings that continue to follow traditional African religious practices. The largest is Candomblé, a religion practiced originally by slaves from the Yoruba tribe. Based largely in the state of Bahia, Candomblé followers worship many different gods and goddesses of nature. It has been estimated that over one thousand Candomblé temples exist in the city of Salvador, Bahia. In fact, approximately 19% of the population of Brazil worship the Candomblé pantheon of gods and goddesses. If you would like to read further about Candomblé, consult the following book: Sacred Leaves of Candomblé: African Magic, Medicine, and Religion in Brazil by Robert A. Voeks.