Companhia Urbana de Dança was founded in 2005 by Sonia Destri Lie and Tiago Sousa as a community-based dance company in Rio de Janeiro. The dancers have their roots in hip-hop, urban dance, and contemporary Brazilian aesthetics, and dance has often provided a way out of the favelas (the slums of Rio) for many of these young performers. Destri herself has worked both inside and outside Brazil, studying with artists such as Pina Bausch, Alwin Nikolais, and Twyla Tharp, and working in the genres of musical theatre, television, and film. Her goals for the company are lofty ones, and they have propelled these dancers into prominent theaters in Europe and the U.S. as well as throughout their home country. Only one year after the Pillow debut appearance seen here, the company returned with Na Pista.
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