Workshop for professional dancers and choreographers with the Passinho Carioca group

“Passinho” means “small step” in Brazilian, and is a dance characterized by rapid foot movements accompanied by sharp twists of the waist. It combines elements of the Brazilian baile funk, breakdance and frevo, as well as of capoeira, samba and other traditional dance idioms. Passinho as a dance style is heavily based on improvisation.

Passinho was born in the early 2000s, within the Rio party scene, and remained relatively unknown for several years – a secret hidden in favela parties that included passinho contests, where the dancers built their local reputation.

The inclusion of passinho in the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics established the dance style as an accepted part of Brazil’s cultural identity. The Passinho Carioca group forms an important part of this scene and has participated in projects supporting the local community and youth and destigmatizing the expression of young men and women through dance. Dance is a shared shelter for communities plagued by drugs and violence.

Due to the urban nature of passinho, the workshop is aimed at professional and young dancers experimenting with related modern urban dance styles (breakdance, hip hop etc.) in Athens, and maintaining an innovative and transdisciplinary approach to their practice. The workshop aims to bolster cultural fermentation and the mixing of dance styles, and to introduce the participants to new ways of bodily and dance expression that will be incorporated in their future work.