In April, the show Guadakan, created and presented by the Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano (South American Moinho Cultural Institute), with the participation of more than 400 members of the institution, will now be presented in three municipalities of Mato Grosso do Sul: Campo Grande, Dourados, and Ponta Porã. The show has been adapted and features the participation of the professional groups of the Cia de Dança do Pantanal (Pantanal Dance Company) and the OCAMP (Orquestra de Câmara do Pantanal / Pantanal Chamber Orchestra).
Guadakan was first presented at Moinho In Concert, in Corumbá. More than 2,500 people have already seen the show in person.
Conceived from a Guató legend, the show combines contemporary dance and orchestra. Drawing on the legend of Guadakan, the performance invites everyone to reflect:
In the beginning, there was simplicity. The elders learned and passed on the teaching that everything in the Pantanal has an owner — non-human, supernatural, or divine beings who must be respected and who demand ethical conduct so that everyone there can live in balance with the resources they offer. When rules are broken, punishments will be handed down. In the present day, more than 17 million vertebrate animals have been killed.
The stage concept and general direction are by Márcia Rolon, with musical arrangements and adaptation by Eduardo Martinelli. The conducting is by José Maikon Amorim Alves, the legend’s narration by Arce Correia, choreography by Chico Neller, and costumes by Luiz Gugliatto.
“Guadakan is an intense and necessary show. Art is also provocative and should lead us to reflection. Being able to bring the Pantanal and the urgent need to preserve it to more people brings us great joy. The Pantanal needs all of us,” says the executive director of Moinho Cultural, Márcia Rolon.
The first stop of the tour across Mato Grosso do Sul is in Campo Grande. The show will be presented at Teatro Glauce Rocha, on Wednesday (12th), at 8 PM. Rated for ages 14 and up, admission is free. Tickets must be picked up on site one hour beforehand, at 7 PM.
“I was moved by the small preview I saw of the show. I got to know up close this spectacular social transformation project called Moinho Cultural. It makes a difference in the lives of children, families, and society,” says the director of FAPEC, Nilde Brun.
On Friday (14th), the Cia de Dança do Pantanal and OCAMP will be in Ponta Porã. The performance will be at 6 PM, at the Centro Internacional de Convenções Miguel Gomes (Rua Baltazar Saldanha, 1550). Admission will also be free, with tickets available on site starting at 5 PM.
The tour ends in Dourados (15th) with a performance at FESTOP (Festival de Todos os Povos / Festival of All Peoples), at 4:20 PM, in Praça Antônio João.
“It is very important for other cities to receive this wonderful project from Moinho Cultural. It’s about offering the public quality culture with free access. The Fundação de Cultura will always support movements like this one, for the benefit of society as a whole,” highlighted the president-director of the Fundação de Cultura de Mato Grosso do Sul (Mato Grosso do Sul Culture Foundation), Max Freitas.
The tour across MS has the cultural support of Fapec, UFMS, Festop, the Ponta Porã City Government, councilwoman Camila Alvarenga, the Fundação de Cultura de Mato Grosso do Sul, and the Government of the State of MS.
The Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano
Moinho Cultural is a civil society organization that has offered, for 18 years, dance, music, technology, and computer classes to children and adolescents in situations of social vulnerability in Corumbá, Ladário, Puerto Suárez, and Puerto Quijarro. The continuing education offered by the institution lasts up to eight years. Moinho also works on training creative performers for young people and adults, through the Companhia de Dança do Pantanal, Orquestra de Câmara do Pantanal, and the Technology Center. The institution’s mission is to reduce social vulnerability in the Brazil-Bolivia border region through access to cultural and technological resources. Since the start of its activities, more than 23,000 children and adolescents have been served by Moinho.
Currently, Moinho Cultural has master sponsorship through the Instituto Cultural Vale’s Cultural Incentive Law, as well as sponsorship from Bellalluna Participações LTDA, Energisa, BRINKS, BTG Pactual, Caraí Empreendimentos LTDA, HINOVE, Rodobens, cultural support from the Instituto FAR, funding from the Government of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul through the Fundação de Cultura de Mato Grosso do Sul, in addition to the partnership with J.Macêdo and Fecomércio MS-SESC.
Institutional partners include the City Government of Corumbá, the City Government of Ladário, the City Government of Puerto Suárez, the City Government of Puerto Quijarro, the Instituto Homem Pantaneiro, IFMS, UFMS, Acaia Pantanal, and other individual and corporate donors.
