EM TEMPO - Creative Process

CLAIRE: When I think back to the beginning of this story, I see two girls playing together in the void.

It was like that… The only thing we had was an idea that came up in a conversation in a bar, at night. And talking, we concluded that we wanted to explore these two tools

primitive, ancestral, which are: percussion and voice, singing.

That’s how “Tempo Canta” emerged and later became “Em Tempo”.

RODRIGO: In 2015, we took part in the Local Productive Arrangement Conference, in Brasília. Then there was an invitation for us to present the work in the cultural space here in Ribeirão, UGT. It was in this invitation that we saw a chance to deepen and research even more what we wanted as tap dance, music, narrative and scene.

ANA LUIZA: In 2016, artist Ana Clara Joly proposed a circular structure. It was like a big

deconstructed clock, you know? With its elements like pointers arranged in space.

As the cast of “Em Tempo” we talked and experimented a lot to bring out the effects, the actions of the passage of time during the show. In the creative process, we used hourglasses, metronomes. With practice, we look for symbols such as the action of scratching the floor with chalk and the presence of a lot golden glitter.

In this transformation over time, we also had at least three costumes. The third and last version was finally thought by a costume designer, Zezé Cherubini.

RENATA DEFINA: I think we never wanted to create a “tap show”. I think “Em Tempo” was emerging, was shaped, and we, the cast, were always open and attentive to the layers that were appearing.

Then the poetry came, we found tap dancing a capella.

There came a concern with the displacement in the orbits, in the boards. But there was also a delicacy with our breaks, a care with our breathing. So, in that sense, I think it’s a very hybrid show, very intimate and at the same time very sensitive to this whole process.

CLAIRE: At that time, I was very fascinated by the huge variety of styles of popular music, both in Brazil and in the world. So, such varied expressions from different countries, from different people. Often as a form of resistance. I looked for inspiration in these songs, these stories.

And the repertoire of “Em Tempo” ended up reflecting this enthusiasm.

RENATA: I say that the dramaturgy of “Em Tempo” was a symbolic landmark for Pé na Tábua, because we had several collaborators throughout the entire creation process, which was quite extensive. It was the first time we worked with a scenic provocateur, who understood our desire to continue creating collectively, without an artistic direction.He managed to get us out of the comfort zone and at the same time helped us to make aesthetic choices in a more conscious way.

MARCELO: Companhia Pé na Tábua has always crossed me for its artistic excellence. With the invitation I received to provoke the “Em Tempo” process, the desire to play with time came to the fore. In playing with the group. In playing with the presence state. The Company joined in this dance and allowed themselves to take a risk, throwing their feet off the board and bringing attention to the eyes.I have a memory of the day when Claire, who is the live soundtrack of the show, offered us the image of eggs for work. She picks up a chicken egg, which was empty inside, but no one knew about, and throws it on a wooden floor. At that moment, we paid all our attention to see what was expected, which is the gemspread across the floor.But nothing happens.This connects us to a single instant of the state of surprise.

WASHINGTON: It was a challenge at the time I was invited to light the Pé na Tábua shows. Until then, I had only created and operated the lighting for the shows I had directed.So, it was another perspective. Just be enlightening and create from that. It was a nice surprise and a great school. I learned and grew a lot creating and operating the light of Pé na Tábua.During this time, I had the opportunity to be in various cultural spaces. The shows of the Company have this characteristic of adapting to different spaces. This turned out to be good stories, like one day when I operated the service light just dimming the spots.But on the other hand, there were spaces that offered so much equipment that I didn’t even know how to use it.

MARCUS: The sound for the show was the sum of a creative, artistic, technical, and also political process.From the technical process, I had to identify which instruments would be used in the show and how each one would react to the different spaces in which the show would be performed. There were spaces that were notappropriate theaters such as gymnasiums, sports courts. And everything in the space interferes with the sound: the air conditioning, the number of people watching, the structure of the space, whether it is made of wood or concrete. Project carried out with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Special Secretary of Culture, Aldir Blanc Law, and the Government of the State of São Paulo.