Cristina Fernandes Rosa
Bodily Practices
I'm one of those people who think best when in motion.
Below, I outline dance forms and other bodily practices that have oriented my intellectual and artistic explorations.
Capoeira Angola
I was introduced to capoeira regional as a teenager in Brazil. In the last decades, I gradually transitioned towards a distinct lineage known as capoeira angola. Some of the anchoring references in the past decades include:
The International Capoeira Angola Foundation, Filhos de Angola, Semente de Angola, Nzinga, and ACANNE.
My studio practice and performances are informed by a number of modern / contemporary forms, including contact-improvisation, release, BMC, Butoh, parkour, and gaga. I have also danced at community gatherings connected to Blues fusion, ecstatic dance, and 5 rhythms.
Modern and Contemporary Dance forms
Afro-Brazilian
and Latin dance forms
I have practiced Afro-Brazilian dance forms (e.g. samba-de-roda, frevo, samba-reggae), Brazilian ballroom styles (e.g. samba de gafieira, forró, reggae de dois), and other Latin dances (e.g., salsa, bachata, merengue), since I was a teenager. I have also studied with teachers whose techniques are rooted on Afro-Brazilian Candomblé (e.g. Rosangela Silvestre and Mestre King), as well as Dunham technique.
I have a yoga teaching certification (Brazil) and further studied under the guidance of Vinnie Marino and Annie Carpenter, in Los Angeles, and Sadhguru, in Coimbatore (India). I'm also trained in and practice Vipassana meditation regularly. Recently, I have been studying Essential Somatics (Martha Peterson) and its application to dis/abilities and eco-somatic practices such as "practice-as-immersion" developed by Dr Ciane Fernandes.
Yoga, meditation,
and somatic arts
Cycling, swimming
and running
Though I have never competed in triathlon, cycling, swimming and running are a huge part of my life. These practices have shaped up who I am as an individual. Cycling, for instance, in my preferred mode of transportation and swimming is my preferred physiotherapy practice.
In the past decades, I have turned to both site-specific performances and other environmental practices such as permaculture, reforestation, gardening, and land work. For me, these are intimately connected to art making and social and environmental justice.
