by Karina Guzzi
Daily Lobo
Dancer Jailton Macedo doesn't want to get rich.
The leader of the Afro-Brazilian troupe Ologundà said he dances to keep the culture alive.
"I don't do it for the money," said Macedo, also known as Dendà. "I want to show the roots."
He comes from the Brazilian state of Bahia, which has a large black population.
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Dendà said his Afro-Brazilian troupe is coming to Popejoy Hall tonight to spread Brazilian culture to New Mexico.
Ologundà performs four different kinds of Brazilian folkloric dances, some of which originated with black slaves in Africa, he said.
"We try to represent the traditions and try to keep it in the real samba, the real Capoeira," he said.
Capoeira was originally created by Brazilian slaves as a fighting technique disguised as a dance so slaves could practice it in front of their masters.
Dendà said the CandomblÇ, a dance that will be performed tonight, is also the name of a religion in Brazil.
The gods of the religion are called Orix†s, and the dancers believe they are inhabited by the Orix†s while on stage.
"I believe that I can see us evoke the Orix†s," he said,
He said when the dancers concentrate, the religious energy is strong. The Samba de Roda, another dance that will be performed tonight, is a weakening tradition in Brazil, Dendà said, and this dance is not religious.
"Its roots are more samba," he said. "More importantly, it's meant to represent the folkloric music of Brazil."
He said the dancers will use drums with African and Afro-Brazilian origins.
One of the drums, the atabaque, is used in the CandomblÇ, Dendà said.
The other is a berimbau, which looks like a fishing pole with a string and a gourd. This is used in the Capoeira dance, Dendà said.
Ologundà has been together for a few years.
"Me and my wife, we started to put it together one or two years ago," Dendà said. "I started to find the best dancers and percussion."
Dendà, also a drummer, said he has performed on albums for popular Brazilian bands but struggled to get his art known in Brazil. He started playing on the streets of New York and today calls it home.
"I played in the subway to help my mother and my sister in Brazil," he said. "My dream was to create little bands in Bahia."
Dendà's wife also acts as his manager. He said she helped him put together his first group. Dendà said he is the head of four Brazilian groups.
"I'm 27 years old, and I'm not going to give up," he said.
For more information about Capoeira in Albuquerque go to capoeiraalbuquerque.com.
Coming attraction
Ologundà
Tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Popejoy Hall
$30, $27, $19.
Ovationseries.com
