The project in summary

Structural emergency support to guarantee the continuity of the percussion and Afro-Brazilian popular danse classes of the Grupo de Apolo Mutuo Pè no Chão.

The project in detail

Structural emergency support to guarantee the continuity of the percussion and Afro-Brazilian popular dance classes and advanced vocational course for a group of children, adolescents and youths living in the outskirts of Recife (Brazil).
Approximately 40 at-risk children and youths, participating in dance and percussion activities with trainers from the Luso-Angolan company Kilandukilu (Lisbon).

Activity

In 2015, Fondation Alta Mane supported Pé no Châo with an extraordinary donation to cover the activity costs and the general expenses of the association.

The project aims to bring to a professional level approximately 120 youths from two slums of Recife, Arruda and Santo Amaro, enrolled in the dance and percussion classes offered by Cabeça no future (head in the future). The beneficiaries of the project take part in high-level Afro dance and percussion courses conducted by local teachers with the support of some former students as tutors. In 2015, Pé no Châo introduced an intensive dance, percussion and choreography course for about 40 youths led by three artists from the Luso-Angolan company Kilandukilu (Lisbon).

African dance and percussions are part of a culture that has long been discriminated in Brazil. Pé no Chão trainers have been working to recover and safeguard the cultural identity of youths of Afro-Brazilian origin.

Through a high level training, the beneficiaries were able to expand their knowledge of this culture, achieve excellent artistic results and obtain marketable skills to find a job as teachers in various artistic disciplines, professional artists and trainers in local NGOs working with marginalized youths.

The young participants of the project created the Pé no Chão Kilandukilu dance troupe and presented their own shows in the streets, squares and festivals of the city including the International Dance Festival of Recife.

Pé No Chão

This group of street educators has been working since 1997 with approximately 120 children and young people in the slums of Recife, Brazil, providing pedagogical and educational activities and organizing artistic workshops in Afro-Brazilian and break dance, hip hop, rap and percussions, capoeira, theater, graffiti, video and photography, directly on the streets. Through these activities, Pé no Chão promotes the inclusion of socio-economically disadvantaged youths and active citizenship.

Information

Fondation Alta Mane supported the project Cabeça no Futuro from 2009 to 2011 and from 2012 in partnership with Fondazione Alta Mane Italia.

In 2015, Fondation Alta Mane supported Pé no Chão with a special donation covering its activity and general costs to help it overcome a period of hardship.