© DuCarmo

ADAMASTOR / Ricardo Ambrozio & GAPP company

Ricardo Ambrózio /

ADAMASTOR is the newest work of Luso-brazilian choreographer Ricardo Ambrozio for the company GAPP (Grupo de Artes Performativas da Performact/PerformIng Arts Group of Performact), a new experimental company to bridge the gap between education and professional activity in the performing arts.

In celebration of the 450th anniversary of the poems "Os Lusíadas" by the Portuguese writer Luís Vaz de Camões the piece portrays the sacred and pagan symbolism of the text and its elements, with focus in the value of challenges and overcoming obstacles. It reminds us of the courage and strength of the people, who once upon a time when confronted with challenges, personal and professional, redefined themselves and overcame them to achieve something greater. There was and is a precious value to this mastery of challenges, put forward in this work.

The "Adamastor" that is presented in a physical dialogue of the young performers of GAPP with their personal "adamastors", seeks an identification of the audience and these confrontations with real and everyday situations, as well as playful projections of them.

The dancers move across practical and dramatic actions with stunning acrodance and vertiginous partnering.Ricardo’s choreographies are known for their physicality with an artistic language rooted in highly animalistic influences and striking scenography. Dripping water on stage draws a parallel to a sinking ship, the analogy for our current society which is unable to withstand the war, disease, inflation etc. Confronted with that what’s our posture- Fight until the end or give up?

Adamastor is another portrait out of Ricardo’s longer portrait series.

music:
"se esta rua fosse minha” von Carlos barros
“driftzang” von machinefabriek
“Vloed” von-machinefabriek
"Barco negro” von Mariza
"Gente da minha terr” von Mariza
“ Journey” von Adamastor (Originalmusik)
“Serren” von- Machine fabriek und Anne Bakker

concept, direction Ricardo Ambrózio & Goncalo Ferreira interpretation, performance Clémence Peytoureau, Claudio Lurenço Costa, Francisca Rodrigues, Lou-Anne Daina / Teodora Vuikov light design Goncalo Ferreira, Clémence Peytoureau production, administration Martina R. Ambrózio, Bernarda Bernardo coproduction Associação Ilú de Dança-Teatro de Intervenção Urbana, Untamed Productions With the support of Camara Municipal de Torres Vedras, Performact

The experimental company GAPP (Grupo de Artes Performativas da Performact/ Performing Arts Group of Performact). arises from the need to bridge the gap between education and professional activity in the performing arts. Through GAPP and its first project Adamastor the team seek to initiate a culture of professional sustainability in the field of dance, absorbing young graduates and pushing them to achieve the best results and build strong careers as a result of the network of partnerships and contacts offered.

The experimental company GAPP (Grupo de Artes Performativas da Performact/ Performing Arts Group of Performact). arises from the need to bridge the gap between education and professional activity in the performing arts.

Through GAPP and its first project Adamastor the team seek to initiate a culture of professional sustainability in the field of dance, absorbing young graduates and pushing them to achieve the best results and build strong careers as a result of the network of partnerships and contacts offered.

Born in the south of Brazil, Ricardo Ambrózio grew up in Rio de Janeiro where he had the opportunity to experience the best and the worst of Brazilian culture. His first contact with rhythm and movement was at the age of 6. After meeting and working intensively with Brazilian choreographer Flavia Tapias, Ricardo immersed himself deeper into the world of dance and attended the Faculdade Angel Vianna for two years. At the age of twenty Ricardo left Brazil for Lisbon, Portugal where he attended Escola Superior de Dança and worked with Companhia de Dança de Almada and Companhia Instável.

During this period he also began developing his own choreographic work and teaching style by blending his experiences in dance, characterized by high energy,momentum and acrobatic work. After working with Helder Seabra in Companhia Instável (Porto, Portugal), he moved first to Amsterdam and then to Brussels to work with Bruno Caverna, Gerard Mosterd, Dogwolf (Chris de Feyter), Willy Dorner and Ultima Vez (Wim Vandekeybus). While working with Ultima Vez, Ricardo started to gather his own artistic works under one name: Untamed The term represents the inescapable animal urge to create, which inspires and pushes him as an artist. His works being strongly passionate and emotional, demand a total and unconditional surrender by both creator and performer and have been presented on stage as well as on location.

In 2016 he created his first solo A sweet lullaby to Mr. Nameless as well as a duet with Celine Werkhoven named Homemade. Later Ambrozio created Homo Urbanus and remade Untamed Production’s first piece Mind’s Mausoleum. Later the large scale production Raizes was created and toured to Mexico, Holland, Portugal and Belgium. Meanwhile Ricardo remains fully engaged as Director of the new dance education training Performact which he co-founded in Portugal in 2016. Currently he is dedicating five years to his longterm project Portraits” consisting of 40 Portraits over 5 years and studying his Master in Choreography and Professional Practice at the Higher Education of Dance, Lisbon.

Eager to hand on his movement language, he has been invited to teach internationally (Berlin, Brussels, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Torres Vedras (PT), Barcelona, Salzburg,m Tilburg, Vilnius).