With markers indicating nearly 1 million hectares hit by fire, the Pantanal is crying out for help. In just over three months, the tragedy already compares to the fires that hit the biome in 2020, and it is within this scenario that the Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano (South American Moinho Cultural Institute) continues trying to bring attention back to the region, through art. Dancers from the Cia de Dança do Pantanal (Pantanal Dance Company) will be in Rio de Janeiro with the show Guadakan.

Supported by the Government of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, the show will be presented at the Salão de Turismo (Tourism Fair), in a free event scheduled to take place at Riocentro, between August 8 and 11. The event is in its 8th edition and is expected to draw more than 50 thousand people.

Narrating the need to preserve the Pantanal and all its biodiversity, especially now, with the climate emergency putting its many species at risk, the show “Guadakan” is conceived from an indigenous Guató myth, an ethnic group established on the border between Brazil and Bolivia.

Under the soundtrack performed by OCAMP (Orquestra de Câmara do Pantanal, Pantanal Chamber Orchestra), the staging takes a journey back to the origins of the Pantanal’s peoples, seeking the wisdom of this ancestry that spans generations to reveal warnings.

The selection of the Cia de Dança do Pantanal for the Salão de Turismo is the result of a joint effort between Sesc and the state’s Fundação de Turismo (Tourism Foundation), and gives the opportunity to take “Guadakan” beyond the Midwest, drawing more attention to the situation faced by the Pantanal, raising the possibility of help, in addition to the effective firefighting efforts of various institutions, such as PrevFogo, the Fire Department, the Army and troops sent by the Força Nacional (National Force) working to combat the flames in the Pantanal.

The subject fits with the theme discussed at this edition of the Salão de Turismo, which focuses on sustainability, looking ahead to COP30, which will take place next year in Belém do Pará. In the discussions, the event aims to raise sustainable practices in the sector, and will present a range of Brazilian products and tourist attractions.

Guadakan Tour

The show, adapted to be presented in tour format, has already been seen by more than 4 thousand people in cities such as Corumbá, Campo Grande, Dourados and Ponta Porã, in Mato Grosso do Sul, and in Rio de Janeiro.

Open to the public, its most recent stop was the city of São Paulo, in June. On that occasion, the show gathered around 300 people at the Teatro CEU Vila Alpina, among influencers and young people invited to learn a bit more about the history of the biome.

In addition to the performance, the dancers of the Cia de Dança do Pantanal took part in an exchange with the Ballet Paraisópolis, founded in 2012, in the southern zone of São Paulo.