What does it mean to give life to movement? Tamara Williams answers this question through an ethnographic study and historical mapping of the Silvestre Dance Technique created by Brazilian master teacher, dancer, and choreographer, Rosangela Silvestre. In the first book solely dedicated to Silvestre Technique, Williams illustrates how the applied theory of the triangles of inspiration, expression and balance of training can lead to self-actualization through implementation in daily life practice.

From the Brazilian arts movements of the 1970s, to the sociopolitical themes of the Blocos Afros, to the global practice of Silvestre Technique presently, the author explores the impact of the Body Universe in understanding self-capacity and capability. Williams investigates the functionality of the technique through a series of interviews, physical practice, and training.

Tamara LaDonna Williams is an assistant professor of dance at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is the founder and artistic director of Moving Spirits, Inc., a dance company.

Tamara LaDonna Williams
Foreword by Lela Aisha Jones
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 286
Bibliographic Info: 50 photos, appendix, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7432-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4137-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix

Foreword by Lela Aisha Jones 1

Preface 5

Introduction 9

   I. African-Brazilian Culture in the 1970s and the History of Silvestre Technique 21

  II. Creating Possibilities: An Approach to Silvestre Technique 35

  III. Practicing the Technique 43

  IV. Conceptualizations of Silvestre Technique 65

   V. Definition of Silvestre Terms and Positions 87

  VI. Introductory Sequences for Silvestre Dance Technique Class 107

 VII. Methodology and Pedagogy 232

VIII. Self-Actualization 248

Afterword 257

Appendix 259

Bibliography 269

Index 273