Avatāra | co-production with Illusionary Rockaz Company

In this extraordinary co-production by master puppeteer Duda Paiva and acclaimed choreographer Shailesh Bahoran, worlds collide. The audience becomes part of an immersive journey through impressive vistas of Brazilian and Indian culture, walking through mysterious landscapes between heaven and earth and meeting companions who are both human and divine. Together, we discover that new encounters can lead to something greater than the sum of its parts: a collision between existing elements that generates enough power to breathe life into something that did not yet exist.

In an optimistic and powerful performance where dance and puppetry merge, Shailesh and Duda explore the tension between humans and gods. Do gods breathe life into humans, or is it humans who create gods? What is the hidden power of symbolism? What influence do past collisions have on the way we perceive the gods? In this co-production, we seek answers in an intriguing reflection between the artificial humanity of puppets and the created mechanical movement of the dance language known as popping.

In Avatāra, Shailesh and Duda reference anime and comic culture, filled with superheroes and supernatural powers. In both Brazilian and Indian religious culture, a prominent place is reserved for demigods, nature gods, and epic adventures that would not be out of place in the stories of Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), Marvel, or Tolkien.

© Shueti