I am pleased to introduce and welcome Jorge Samuel Faria to Portland. Jorge is a collaborator visiting from Brazil. I met Samuel during a residency in Curitiba, Brazil. This meeting instigated him translating a spoken word solo that I performed while there, then into collaboration. We are struck by our commonalities and by our differences and how we engage with our ancestral histories today. Looking back, looking forward, and being with. 

I am honored to be able to share what we have developed after approximately 30 hours of collaborating on February 4th. 

Two human beings 
One black
One white 
One female 
One male 
One 65 
One 23
One country above the equator and one below the equator
Both with bones, blood, hearts, and lungs
Coming together in our individuality
Coming together in our differences
Both dancers and choreographers

Jorge Samuel Faria is a movement artist from Brazil. The grandson of the founder of one of the first schools of Samba in Teresòpolis, Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), Jorge grew up surrounded by drums and dancing. Currently, he is a candidate at UNESPAR, in Curitiba, Brazil where he studies dance research and composition. Jorge’s current project Nativo Urbano scientifically examines dance composition and movement analysis using his distinct history and movement style.

Photo: Filipe Britto, UNESPAR - University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil, 2019