Circe: The Song of Benedito @ Prism Movement Theater
—Jan Farrington
Say the words “martial arts”—and it's probably Asian faces and movements that come to mind. But did you know (I didn’t until recently) that as early as the 1500s, enslaved people in Brazil developed their own fascinating and life-changing form of martial art?
It’s called “Capoeira” and is celebrated in Prism Movement Theater’s dynamic and emotional dance/story presentation of Circe: The Song of Benedito. Performed by Dallas Capoeira master Alejandro Perez Jr. with agile and athletic members of Dallas Malandros Capoeira, everything happens inside a large circular space lined with palm fronds, shaker gourds, and cudgels made of bamboo (a few with quite pointed attached spears), this is a story told more in movement and song than words, a perfect fit for Prism. Most of the language is African, with Portuguese and (I think?) Spanish mixed in, but the story is clear enough.
Capoeira was used in slave rebellions and escapes, in defending slaves from brutality—and was practiced in joyful gatherings as a way to venerate both African and indigenous heritage and strength. This Afro-Brazilian discipline still active today, 500 years later.
And the movement/dance component is something to see. With African drums and both folk and original music accompanying (original music by S’Ankhrasa) and great performers on African drums and the one-stringed berimbau, the 90-minute performance goes by in a blaze of energy and action, featuring the form’s signature moves: horizontal leg sweeps to knock an opponent flat; inverse leg kicks, handstands and cartwheels, elbow and knee jabs, and a rocking, keep-’em-guessing move called the ginga. Capoeira was a martial art for people who had few of the tools of warfare—so distraction, surprise and speed were just as important as strength in fending off enemies.
Written and performed in 2020 by playwrights Iv Amenti and Jonah Gutierrez, who are co-directing the show, this is the story of Benedito (Daniel Saunders), a young Angolan who, with others of his village, is stolen away by slave traders and shipped to Brazil. On the terrifyingly portrayed voyage are an Elder (wonderfully inhabited by Muntazz Palmer), and two young women, including the resilient and brave Circe (engaging Shanthany Wilderson), who gives her name to the piece. Benedito is revered as an early hero among the master capoeiristas who changed the world around them.
Already a skilled wrestler and warrior in his own land (as early sequences reveal), the enslaved Benedito is taught defense and war strategies by enslaved Africans and indigenous peoples on the sugar cane plantation, a place he can hardly call home. This is the story of how Benedito and many slaves lived through tragedy, and learned they had the power to resist their masters and protect their people. In Brazilian history, Capoeira and its practitioners became a major force, leading some slave groups to form their own communities (think Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest, but with better dancing) and defend them—so powerful that centuries later, Brazil made Capoeira illegal for a time.
This weekend’s strong, dynamic performances were indoors at Dallas Childrens Theatre For a full list of cast & creatives, go to: https://www.prismmovementtheater.org/circe-program Things should be even more exciting if—weather permitting—the show goes on for the next two weekends where it was meant to be seen, outdoors on the grass, with plenty of room to move. This is something different, and special.
WHEN: April 27-28, May 5-6, May 12-23
WHERE: Kidd Springs Park, 711 W. Canty Street, Dallas
