Seeing Through Stone: Sonny Trujillo’s Voice from Within
Remy Francisco, October 25, 2024 At 63 years old, Sonny Trujillo stands upon a collapsed prison surveillance tower. He paces five steps...
Dandha da Hora is a master dancer and teacher, and a member of the Ilê Aiyê, one of Brazil’s most important musical and cultural institutions, founded in 1974. Through Afro Diasporic songs and dance, this performance will invoke the intersecting struggles for freedom between Bahia and the United States.
The event is part Explode! Platform’s artwork, Passagem, 2024, currently on view in Seeing through Stone.
The Institute of the Arts and Sciences is pleased to participate in Santa Cruz’s First Friday Art Tour.
Image: Explode! Platform (Cláudio Bueno and João Simões), Passagem, 2024. Image by Glen Cheriton.
Dandha da Hora, born and raised in Salvador, Bahia, has been a member of Ilê Aiyê, one of Brazil’s most important musical and cultural institutions, since she was 6 years old. A master dancer, as well as vocalist and percussionist, Dandha invokes the incredible spirit of Ilê Aiyê and Salvador, Bahia, each time she steps onstage.
As a lead dancer with Ilê Aiyê, Dandha toured internationally and has shared the stage with many of Brazil’s most renowned artists such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Daniela Mercury. In addition to performing with Ilê Aiyê and SambaDá, Dandha has performed with Casa Samba (New Orleans, LA), SambaDendê and Bateria Alegria (Boulder, CO), Banda Remelexo and Bahia Soul (Bay Area, CA).
Alongside a full touring schedule, Dandha also is a master dance teacher and teaches ongoing dance classes in Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as giving special workshops across the country. Whether she is teaching, dancing, singing, or playing an instrument, Dandha’s art always reflects her passion for sharing Afro-Brazilian culture, and she brings a message of hope, love, equality and freedom every time she performs. Biography from sambada.com.
Founded by Cláudio Bueno and João Simões in Brazil, Explode! Platform operates at the intersections of art, pedagogy, and social justice. Cláudio Bueno, from São Paulo, Brazil, is a professor in the Art Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. João Simões, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is an artist, curator, researcher, and designer.
