Nororoca

Contemporary dance from the favela Carte Blanche, Norway’s national contemporary dance company, meets the renowned choreographer Lia Rodrigues in the production ‘Nororoca’ – an exciting cultural exchange between Brazil and the Nordics.

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In her home town of Rio de Janeiro, the award-winning Brazilian dance artist Lia Rodrigues is an active, cultural force. She started her own dance company Lia Rodrigues Companhia de Danças, which tours the world, she established the dance festival Panorama, and founded Centro de Artes da Maré – an art and culture centre in the favela of Rio.

‘Nororoca’ is directly inspired by Rodrigues’ production ‘Pororoca’ from 2009.

The word ‘pororoca’ stems from the Tupian word ‘poro’rog’, which is a powerful tidal phenomenon that occurs where salt water meets fresh water at the mouth of the Amazon River.

The process leading up to the premiere starts in the Maré favela, one of Rio’s biggest slums, where the Carte Blanche dancers meet Lia Rodrigues for the first time. This cultural exchange between the dancers and choreographer creates a mutual understanding that forms the basis for ‘Nororoca’.

Rodrigues sees art as a medium for expressing opinions. As a choreographer, Lia explores human relationships and group dynamics. The result is often beautiful, raw and surprisingly intimate.