Group Acorde Premieres Adaptar: Stories of Adaptation

Media Contact:

Roberta Paixao Cortes
(281)8273091
groupacorde@gmail.com
www.groupacorde.org

Houston’s collaborative dance and live
music performance company Group Acorde,
premieres adaptar: stories of adaptation at historical
The Deluxe Theater on March 9th, 2023

Houston, TX, January 30th, 2023 – Group Acorde presents adaptar: stories of adaptation, an evening of two premiere works of contemporary dance and live music performances highlighting the work of Brazilian born and raised Roberta Paixao Cortes and guest choreographers Jennifer Mabus and Spencer Gavin Hering. Roberta’s Belonging(or not) Abroad showcases her movement with an original musical score inspired by Brazilian music and composed by Seth Paynter and Thomas Helton. The work tells Roberta’s story of immigrating to Houston from Brazil 20 years ago and the many struggles she encountered daily in trying to belong to a different culture, city and country by describing her initial plans to immigrate from Brazil to Houston and highlighting the changes in her behavior, interactions and relationships from the years prior to her departure until now. Andre Amaral, a Brazilian born and raised visual artist, will also contribute visual art and set design for this piece. The second premiere, Neuroception, brings together two talented guest choreographers, Jennifer Mabus and Spencer Gavin Hering, for a unique collaboration between the four artists of Group Acorde to create a cohesive piece inspired by the polyvagal theory. This theory includes psychological ideas pertaining to the role of the vagus nerve in emotion regulation, social connection and fear response. The process for this piece has been like nothing the company has ever done before. All choreographers bring their individual voices to how they view the theme as well as their own perspectives of emotional regulation in their own lives and experiences. The collaborative piece results in a complex intermingling of stories that illustrate how our primal human nervous system co-regulates with other nervous systems and unconsciously detects safety and threats. The soundscore will include the shruti box, melodica, ocean drum and electronic sounds in addition to the musicians’ primary instruments of double bass and saxophone. This project will be performed at the historical 5th ward The Deluxe Theater and includes neighborhood partnerships with Go! Neighborhood 5th ward and local public schools. The performances of adaptar: stories of adaptation will include choreography by Roberta Paixao Cortes, Spencer Gavin Hering, Jennifer Mabus and Lindsey McGill; compositions by Thomas Helton and Seth Paynter; set design and visual art by Andre Amaral; and lighting design by Edgar Guajardo. adaptar: stories of adaptation. The Deluxe Theater (3303 Lyons Avenue, Houston/TX 77020 | 281-968-0059) March 9th, 10th and 11th, 2023. Performances are approximately 65 min long with no intermission and are followed by a Q & A session with the artists. General admission: $30; artists: $20; 5th ward residents: $5. For tickets and  information: www.groupacorde.org

Group Acorde came to life with the desire of Roberta Paixao Cortes, Thomas Helton, Lindsey McGill and Seth Paynter to be a group that truly collaborates in all aspects of the creation process, conceptualizing the works from beginning to end. These four artists have been creating and performing in the Houston arts scene for over 20 years. Tthis is Group Acorde’s fourth full evening production featuring all new collaborative works. adaptar: stories of adaptation is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

Group Acorde’s mission is to cultivate and educate diverse audiences through live, thought-provoking, original and affordable performance collaborations between contemporary dance and experimental music.  The company broadens its reach through community partnerships that aim to include and engage people from all walks of life through education, dialogue and accessibility.

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