DIRECTED AND CO-CREATED BY ARLENE PHILLIPS
WRITTEN AND CREATED BY PAMELA STEPHENSON-CONNOLLY
The sensational dance story from the toughest streets of BRAZIL
A journey of intense passion, magical music and explosive energy, with Brazil’s most thrilling new dance company.
PERTH REGAL THEATRE Thursday October 23 – Sunday October 26
Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au or phone 132 849
SYDNEY ENMORE THEATRE Thursday November 13– Sunday November 16
Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au or phone 132 849 or Enmore Theatre 9550 3666
MELBOURNE THE PALMS AT CROWN Wednesday November 19 – Sunday November 30
Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au or hotline 1300 795 012
GOLD COAST JUPITERS THEATRE Thursday December 4 – Sunday January 18
Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au or phone 132 849 or at the Jupiters Box Office.
ON SALE NOW
Nine Live, with Pamela Stephenson-Connolly, Arlene Phillips and Australian producer Harley Medcalf, founder of Burn the Floor, are proud to announce that they are touring the original production of Braz Dos Santos‘ BRAZOUKA to Australia in October, following the world premiere season at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Assembly Hall in July, 2014.
This unique dance-drama, directed by the critically acclaimed Arlene Phillips, is performed by Brazil’s most thrilling new troupe, led by Braz Dos Santos. BRAZOUKA will introduce the sensual dance language of Lambazouk , mixed with the bouncy Forro style, dazzling martial arts/dance – Capoeira, Afro-contemporary, Rio Zouk and the cheeky partner dances of the Samba.
Braz Dos Santos is widely acknowledged to be the very best freestyle lambazouk dancer in the world. It is his personal story of a struggle to scramble onto the world’s stage from the toughest streets of Brazil that has inspired ‘BRAZOUKA’. From modest beginnings as a teenage fishermen, Dos Santos and his brother Didi witnessed the birth of the lambada dance form by peeking through the door of the local bordello. Discovered dancing in flip flops in a beach bar, Dos Santos and his brother were asked to come to Paris (a place they had never heard of) to dance the lambada, which had become known as the ‘’Forbidden Dance”. The boys’ father, a shaman in the Candomblé religion, forbade them but the choice for Braz was clear; with truly precarious fishing the only other option, it was a case of ‘dance or die…’.
Pamela Stephenson-Connolly is the driving force, writer and inspiration behind BRAZOUKA. Shortly after her stint in the final of BBC’s mega-hit Strictly Come Dancing, her pursuit to find the real passion in dancing led her to Brazil, where she was able to open her senses to a whole new world, studying lambazouk, samba de gaffiera, samba nu pe, and forro – as she says: ‘the most fabulous Brazilian dances you’ve never seen!’. In partnership with the Dos Santos brothers she founded ‘The Brazouka Dance Company’ and the idea of BRAZOUKA the show was born.
Arlene Phillips is a highly celebrated choreographer, theatre director, talent scout, TV presenter, TV judge and former dancer, who found success in many fields of entertainment. She is a most noted choreographer of numerous West End and Broadway musicals, films and television shows, and has since achieved mainstream fame as a judge on television talent shows including Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance.
The Brazouka company are: Braz dos Santos and Romina Hidalgo; Gilson Damasco and Natasha Terekhina; Bebe Duarte and Sarita Piotrowski; Carlos Da Silva and Fernanda Da Silva ; Anderson Mendes da Rocha and Brenda de Carvalho ; Zulu and Adriana da Silveira; Rodrigo de Oliveira and Josta O’Niel; and Wellington Dos Santos and Josy Borges de Souza.
Following the inaugural season at the Fringe, Brazouka will then go worldwide, moving to the Mandela Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 3 to 19 October 2014, before a tour of Australia visiting Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.
NOTES TO EDITORS – THE CREATIVE TEAM
Nine Touring and Events
Nine Touring and Events is an integrated live entertainment, sports and lifestyle events business within Nine Live that launched in 2011 that promotes live events, with over 1.2 million tickets sold to date. Artists that Nine Touring and Events has promoted include One Direction, Ricky Martin and Keith Urban. Nine Touring and Events also provides hospitality, sponsorship, consulting and event management solutions to event promoters, sports federations and corporate stakeholders.
Pamela Stephenson-Connolly, Creator, Writer, Producer and Press Spokesperson
Pamela Stephenson-Connolly is a New Zealand-born Australian. At five years of age she began to perform dancing roles on stage and television, and by twelve she was performing with London’s Festival Ballet Company and had written and staged a musical at the Arts Educational Stage school. After graduating from Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art, she performed leading stage, film and television roles throughout Australia.
In the mid 70’s, Pamela left Australia to study theatre worldwide, during which time she developed a passion for political theatre. After arriving in London she was cast in a highly successful new BBC topical comedy show Not The Nine O’Clock News which launched her in the UK as an exciting new comedy star.
After three series — and a couple of stage shows — of NTNON, Pamela began to focus on stand-up comedy, performing the first version of her one-man show at the Edinburgh Festival in 1981. But an international movie career beckoned, in several Hollywood movies such as Superman 111. She spent a year at London’s Drury Lane Theatre, playing Mabel in Pirates of Penzance.
In 1983 she become a cast member of the famous Saturday Night Live TV comedy show in New York, then toured the world with her one-man comedy shows. After moving to the United States with her husband Billy Connolly, Pamela trained as a psychologist, and received her doctorate in 1996. She established a psychotherapy practice and embarked on psychological research and lecturing.
As an author, four million copies of her best-selling book – a biography of her husband ‘Billy’ – were sold worldwide. Six more books followed: Bravemouth, Treasure Islands, Murder or Mutiny, Head Case, Sex Life and her memoirs The Varnished Untruth.
In 2008 Pamela returned to TV to present Shrink Rap, and also ‘Fame’ for Channel 4. In 2012 she became a finalist on BBC’s mega-hit Strictly Come Dancing, an opportunity that returned her to dance. Shortly afterwards, her pursuit to find the real passion in dancing led her to Brazil, where she was able to open her senses to a whole new world, studying lambazouk, samba de gaffiera, samba nu pe, and forro – as she says: ‘the most fabulous Brazilian dances you’ve never seen!’. After two years she began to dream about introducing the skill, energy, fire, spirituality, sensuality and commitment of the top Brazilian dancers to the rest of the world. In 2013 she established ‘The Brazilliant Dance Company’ – and began to conceive a commercial stage platform for them. Pamela is now the driving force, writer and inspiration behind the new show Brazouka!
Arlene Phillips CBE, Director, Co Creator and Producer
Arlene Phillips, CBE is a highly celebrated choreographer, theatre director, talent scout, TV presenter, TV judge and former dancer, who found success in many fields of entertainment.
She is a most noted choreographer of numerous West End and Broadway musicals, films and television shows, and has since achieved mainstream fame as a judge on television talent shows including Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance.
The unstoppable force of this dedicated choreographer has led to varying arena and concert work. From staging Sarah Brightman and Jose Carreras in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games Official Theme, Amigos Para Sempre, to taking on the role of Director of Choreography for the Manchester XVII Commonwealth Games in 2002, directing the Strictly Come Dancing Live arena tour and this year choreographing Monty Python Live.
Arlene has worked on huge worldwide productions such as Starlight Express, Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, EFX at the MGM Grand, The Bratz Arena Tour and the British 2009 and 2012 entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, An Evening with Gediminas Taranda (Bolshoi Ballet) in Moscow.
Arlene’s renowned choreography has been seen in a number of much loved musicals including Starlight Express, The Wizard of Oz, Flashdance, The Sound of Music, Grease, We Will Rock You, Saturday Night Fever, Time and Matador many of which have travelled the globe.
Harley Medcalf, Lead Producer
In a career spanning forty years, producing concerts, live theatre, major events, covering four continents, Harley has worked with Artists as diverse as Marlene Dietrich, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Billy Joel, Michael Crawford, Billy Connolly, Queen, Michael Flatley, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Kenny G and Sarah Brightman.
Harley has produced multiple shows for Barry Humphries, Dame Edna including Look at Me When I Am Talking to You (1984), Remember You’re Out (2000), Back to My Root’s (2004), A Night with Dame Edna (2002-2004 Regional USA), Dame Edna – Back with a Vengeance (on Broadway, Music Box Theatre 2004/5, Regional USA) and Dame Edna – My First Last Tour (Regional USA 2008/9).
Harley founded and produced the Latin and Ballroom dance hit BURN THE FLOOR in 1999 and has passionately produced the show in over 30 countries and 300 cities including on Broadway in 2009/10 and the West End in 2010 and 2013. BURN THE FLOOR continues to tour into its 15th year, with two off shoot productions in long term residency with the Norwegian Cruise Line ships Breakaway in Manhattan and Getaway in Miami, a third NCL production in creation for Barcelona, Spain, and a separate production running annually in Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida.
Harley’s current touring projects in Australia include Diego El Cigala, At Last-The Etta James Story, Suzi Quatro-Final Australian Tour, and in New York, opening Off Broadway in October, Lennon-Through A Glass Onion at the Union Square Theatre.
