C A C U N D A: The Oldest Entity

The word “cacunda”, from the African language Kimbundu, refers to the sharp curvature of the back that overwhelms the body, usually a consequence of age. It also refers to the one who gives shelter and protection, the one who launches plagues and wishes evil behind her back. In the “terreiros” (meeting places for Umbanda), cacunda is the oldest entity, the Cacurucaia: an old and grumpy woman, a cloud of dust that dances in the curve of time and is between past, present, and continuity.

In the solo of Adnã Ionara, cacunda gives its name to a dance that mobilizes time and its curves, questioning and celebrating the weight that existence carries. On stage, a narrative of muscles is supported by sounds, symbologies, and subtleties of the album “Padê”, by Juçara Marçal, and the literary works “Um Defeito de Cor”, by Ana Maria Gonçalves, and “Becos da Memória”, by Conceição Evaristo.

To create the show, the artist and researcher started from bibliographic references and Afrodiasporic symbologies linked to time and memory, understood as a social and collective construction. Thus, in worship, memory is responsible for ancestry, establishing itself as an echo of ancient existences, and operating as a cord that gestates and delineates the spiral curves of time.

Creation and Performance: Adnã Ionara;
Artistic Direction: Adnã Ionara e José Teixeira;
Direction, composition and execution soundtrack: Yandara Pimentel, Otavio Andrade e Marcelo Santhu;
Design and light operation: Karen Mezza;
Sound operation: Pedro Flório;
Costume: Graciete Mary dos Santos;
Artistic production: José Teixeira;
Stage Manager: Yasmin Berzin;
Executive Production: Wannyse Zivko (Arte & Efeito).