Mexe
A pioneering, unprecedented live performance that traces the story of capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art hidden in a dance, through an innovative synthesis of African dance, capoeira, wearable technology and 3D sound.
artist’s intent
Mexe is a direct emanation of my artistic practice, Playformance, which strives to situate the human body as the serendipitous actuator of conceptual audiovisual content to offer a live, undirected and visceral experience for the performer as well as for the audience. I am is motivated by the creative potential that amplifying technologies can introduce to performance art, and how this synthesis can inform and challenge the traditional principles of set design, lighting, choreography and human-computer interaction (HCI).
The artistic intent of Playformance is to offer the space for performance artists to rethink their craft in unexpected ways through the incorporation of interactive technology. Live movements on stage serve as the kinetic form of creative articulation, and are digitally translated to trigger multimedia in real-time such as sound effects, projected motion graphics, cueing of media assets and stage lights. Playformance holds the potential to convey the user’s inner thoughts and/or motives, with the on-stage screen or scrim serving as portals to metaphorically communicate that which the physical body cannot.
in the globe & mail.
Access full article here.
the process & demo at the gardiner museum.
the orisha trailers.
Our choreographer, Newton Moraes is of the Yoruba faith and helped guide and inspire the Mexe characters to centre around an Orisha. The four following trailers serve as introductions to each and the cultural story world of the Mexe project.
Main show trailer
Exu
Oxum, the Orisha of love
Oxossi, the Orisha of the hunt
Oxalá (or Obatala), the father of all Orishas
Iemanja, the mother of all Orishas
the summerworks show.
Original Concept & Creative Director // Maziar Ghaderi
Technical Director // Stephen Surlin
Producer // Patricia Marcoccia
Choreographer // Newton Moraes Dance Theatre
Associate Producer // Axé Capoeira Toronto
Website // Stephen McMahon
Performers // Nathan Pruitt, Kimya Hypolite, Ibo Benna, Lesley Waldron, Jafari Moore
Video // Patricia Marcoccia (Holding Space Media Productions)
Sound // Stephen Surlin
Sponsors // SmartRay Inc., Moog Audio, Toronto Arts Council, R. Hiscott Beauty & Theatrical Supplies