Arts Centre Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium

“A light-hearted, clever performance, even though Seabra doesn’t do much more than collecting images from TV, film and the internet that fit his subject. This is similar to the work of Michael Moore, but Seabra doesn’t feel the need to convince his audience like Moore does. Where Moore uses force to convince us, which has its merit, Seabra uses humour.”

Koyaanisqatsi. Koyaani-what?

‘Koyaanisqatsi – Life out of Balance’ is an eighties cult classic set to a hypnotising soundtrack by Philip Glass. Featuring slow motion and time-lapse photography of busy streets, hurried commuters, collapsing buildings, rushing cars, skyscraper-dotted skylines and threatening clouds, Koyaanisqatsi questioned the relationship between man, nature and technology. The film was controversial at the time of release and is still a source of inspiration for artists today: Sufjan Stevens’s film BQE was largely based on it and pop artists Madonna and The Spice Girls referenced Koyaanisqatsi in their videos. But how do you bring a wordless film to the stage? And how about the environmental message of the film that is more relevant than ever? Seabra & Verstockt formulate an original answer to these and more questions raised by the film.

Seabra & Verstockt decided to unveil the contemporary corruption of the film’s content, technique and aesthetics live on stage through new imagery, spoken word, live viola caipira and violão de Choro. By doing so, they create a new theatrical universe where moda’s (Brazilian blues) contrails, palm trees and cows come together in ways only the visual power of Seabra and the awkward eye of Verstockt can achieve...

Ricky Seabra is a Brazilian actor who regularly works in Belgium. His shows are light-hearted, yet politically aware lectures/performances. As in most of his work, Seabra makes ample use of contemporary culture, referencing reality TV, music videos, Photoshop and YouTube in ‘Koyaanisqatsi – The Performance’. Like all of his shows, this piece is funny yet perturbing at the same time.

• For the performances on the 22nd and 23rd of October, you can also get a combined ticket for this event and the performance by Naomi Kerkhove & Ruben Nachtergaele and Andrea Belfi & Mirco Santi.

Viola Caipira: the Brazilian rural 10 string guitar which has more than fifty different tunings (we are tuned in Cebolão em Mi (Big Onion in E major).
Observation: Caipira is the same word that Caipirinha comes from meaning a small farmer or boertje/boerinneke.

Violão de Choro: a guitar with a fabulous extra 7th bass string (tuned in A major) used for Choro music. Choro means to cry. It’s our blues light.

Moda is a Brazilian music style from Brazil’s Mid-West and the utterly dry Northeastern sertão and caatinga regions of Brazil. This is our real blues.