I am/we are: Contemporary dance, somatics and new older bodies

Abstract

In this photographic article, we gather five Brazilian choreographers and dancers who are over 50 years old: Eva Schul (72), Robson Duarte (57), Eduardo Severino (57), Suzi Weber (55) and Mônica Dantas (52). Movement and dance photos support a narrative about age, longevity and fragility in contemporary dance. We try to answer some questions: how old is too old to dance? How do we embody time? How do we integrate damage and fragility to our dance? We have been collaborating with Eva Schul since the 1990s, and in parallel, we have been developing our own work. Since the 1980s, Eva Schul has been working with contemporary dance integrating somatic practices. So, this visual essay addresses topics related to the history of somatic practices and contemporary dance in southern Brazil and somatic perspectives on the ageing issue. We intend to give voice and image to those dancers and choreographers that are challenging the perspective of body image in dance, and highlight their older bodies, which can display vulnerability and fragility and, at the same time, strength and desire, ready to fight the battles of art and life. Our vision is that to give voice and image to those dancing bodies matured by the passage of time constitutes a political act.