Ensaiei meu samba o ano inteiro: um estudo etnográfico sobre dança, performance e espetáculo no Grupo Parafolclórico da UFRN

Abstract

This work aims to contribute to the anthropological studies on dance and performance through an ethnographic analysis of a case study focused on the process of performatic production of the last show of the the UFRN Parafolcloric Group, "I rehearsed my samba throughout the year". In order to understand the reality of the company, I examined the dancers' perspective on the stages of the production of the performance, as well as the way in which this procedure modifies interpersonal relationships and the subjects' concept of the group, the show, and themselves. Finally, I analyze the potential of the show as a performatic context able to modify the understanding of dancers and the audience on some of the factors, which determined the evolution of samba in Brazil. The show brings into the theatrical scene a historical journey of this musical genre through the representation of more than ten choreographies, with the goal of re-signifying elements of different dances, namely batuque, lundu, samba de roda, maxixe, samba canção, samba gafieira, and samba enredo. In this sense, I carry out a comparative study of the social, musical, and coreographical elements addressed by the company, and the historical context in which the different kinds of samba on which the group grounded its research for the artistic production of the show.