Event Info

Brazilian artists Guilherme Bertissolo (composer) and Lia Sfoggia (dancer) present a spectacle of music, video and movement developed during their exchange at the UCR Experimental Acoustics Research Studio (EARS) in collaboration with the EARS Student Group and guest artists. Their work is infused by capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian cultural practice that incorporates elements of dance, music and spirituality, which became a symbol of resistance and struggle for social justice. The project explores intersections between sound, movement, and image in a collaborative environment devoted to build a sense of community by de-constructing colonial habits and prejudices.

Performance Program (pdf)

Bios

Guilherme Bertissolo

Born in Porto Alegre, Guilherme Bertissolo is a Brazilian composer and professor of Composition and Music Theory at the Music School of the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Brazil. Bertissolo’s artistic and research interests included the relationship between music and movement, principles of Brazilian capoeira, and enactive music cognition. His work includes pieces for ensembles, chamber music, electroacoustic works, and collaboration with dance and video artists and have been widely performed and published in Brazil, Europe (Germany, Portugal), and the USA. He holds a graduation in Classical Guitar (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil), a Master’s in Music Composition (Federal University of Bahia/Brazil), and a Ph.D. in Composition from the Federal University of Bahia, advised by Paulo Costa Lima; for his dissertation he developed research as an invited scholar at the University of California, Riverside, advised by Paulo C. Chagas. He received many awards for his composition in Brazil and abroad such as the “I Prêmio de Música Contemporânea da Bahia” (2015), the “Funarte Prize for Classical Music” (Brazil, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2021), the “C.A.R.L. Residency” (California/USA, 2012), the “Fernando Burgos Composition Prize” (Brazil, 2011), and the “10th Carl von Ossietzky Composition Prize” (Germany, 2010).

Lia Sfoggia

Lia Sfoggia is a Brazilian dancer, choreographer, and physical educator (Polestar Pilates instructor). Sfoggia obtained her B.A. in Dance and Physical Education at the State University of Rio Grande do Sul and Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, respectively. Sfoggia graduated in 2010 with a M.F.A in Dance from the Federal University of Bahia. Her graduate research focused on Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis and Dance Composition. She earned a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies at the UFBA, focusing on Capoeira as a source for artistic processes in Dance. Sfoggia has over fifteen years of experience studying and teaching Brazilian dance and capoeira. From 2009-2011, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Bahia, acting as undergraduate advisor in the Dance Department. Sfoggia was awarded the distinguished Yanka Rudzka Prize for Dance Composition (2010) and the C.A.R.L. Residency, Barbara and Culver Center of Arts, University of California (2011). Her works explore movement and image, intertwining dance, photography, video, capoeira, and samba de roda.

The Culture Ministry of Brazil and the Federal University of Bahia have provided support.