Song of Distance (working title) is a new performance that departs from the Juruá River in the Brazilian Amazon, considered the most sinuous river in the world. Flowing through flat terrain with a heavy load of debris and residues, the Juruá constantly twists and turns, generating an excess of meanders. The performance adopts this sinuosity as both image and method, following its curves to think about migration, diasporic memory, and river knowledges as forms of survival and resistance.
During the Praxis residency I propose a studio showing/presentation followed by an informal conversation, where we unpack the main methodologies and references for the project. We will center on topics such as: how swaying practices transform through migration, how undulation can be a tool to navigate environments, and how dance can host complex, joyful and conflictual forms of belonging. I am particularly interested in using this encounter as a space for feedback and dialogue that can inform the further development of the work: responses to the choreographic material, to the research framework, and to how the work resonates with different lived experiences of migration. I hope this shared reflection can help refine the questions, methods, and public formats of the project, and open up potential future collaborations with other artists and the community connected to PRAXIS Oslo.