Transcultural music and dance performance
In the Brazilian candomblé cult an archetypal pantheon connects to percussion rhythms, dance and coral singings in a unique and fascinating way. Koro contextualizes the music of candomblé with a new harmonic and sound wise environment. Samples of the original call- and response singings are placed in the centre of contemporary compositions and experience the listener the spirituality of the candomblé through a musical performance supported by dance performance and digital visual art.
In many nature religions music functions as a medium to stabilize a connection to the divine and otherworldly. Koro focusses this connection between musical structure and spiritual patterns of behaviour in order to establish a deeper comprehension for musical performance within an extended concept of music. The extension consists of the interplay between dancelike presented religious rituals, improvised sounding structures but also conventional composing techniques and provides an interactive access to Brazilian culture for performers and listeners.
about us:
Janco Boy Bystron, studied drums and percussion (jazz/rock/pop) at the Carl Maria von Weber Hochschule für Musik, Dresden, Germany. For his PhD in musicology, he focused on the musical culture of Brazil and published the results in Brasilianische Grooves (2018). With the exposition of macro- and microstructures in musical rhythm and their embedding in sociocultural practice and ways of thinking in modern societies he wants to contribute to a detailed reflection on motives for artistic activities and their reception.
Dirk Häfner studied jazz guitar at the Academy of Contemporary Musik Guildford/UK and at the Musikhochschule Carl Maria von Weber Dresden. He toured with different projects in China, Brazil and througout Europe. He is winner of the international jazz award “Burghausen” and gained a golden award as a guitarist on the very successful pop album „Immer noch Mensch“ by Tim Bendzko. With KORO Dirk intends a Brazilian music beyond the mainstream of samba und bossa nova.
Edegar Fernando Starke is a Brazilian born dancer, currently based in Berlin and interested in the research of the body in movement. Graduated actor with a strong physical background, he has developed a series of dance and theatre projects in Brazil. He kept on with his studies in Germany getting in touch with DV8, Les Ballets C de la B, Trisha Brown Dance Company, La Ultima Vez, Russel Maliphant, amongst others and has been training Butoh since 2013 with Masaki Iwana, Yumiko Yoshioka, Ken Mai, Minako Seki and Daisuke Yoshimoto and Ambra Gatto Bergamasco.