Over the years, Choreographic Theater became the best definition of my work. Although related to contemporary tendencies, such as dance-theater, physical theater, and Performance Art, the expression offers a distinct characteristic: in addition to make the fusion between theater, dance, music, and voice, it emphasizes the text as part of an embodied dramaturgy and a sense of non-narrative composition.
Ao longo dos anos, Teatro Coreográfico tornou-se a designação que melhor define o meu trabalho. Embora relacionado com tendências contemporâneas, tais como teatro-dança , teatro físico e Performance Art, a expressão oferece uma característica distinta : além de fundir movimento, dança, música e voz, enfatiza o texto falado como integrante de uma dramaturgia corporal e de um senso de composição não-narrativo.
Regina is one of the pioneers in Brazil of site-specific work, usually in large formats. The cover photo is from her 1991 - The Divine Comedy - which brought together 146 performing artists, and 34 Visual artists, occupying the whole Rio de Janeiro Museum of Modern Art. Since then, Regina explored gardens, galleries, abandoned tenement houses, and more! A few examples portrayed here, include the emptied pool of the Visual Arts School of Lage Park, which was filled with sand for Orpheus (2005), and historic places, such as the old slavery port recent rediscovered, for the staging of her choreographic installations Black Market (2014) and Abolition (2015), Rio de Janeiro. Following, one photo of the immersive performance Inside the Wild Heart, with Group .BR in NYC. The two last photos are from the performance Romola & Nijinsky, currently occupying 3 floors of the Castle of Flamengo.
Aiming to sharpen the perception of what is informally created in urban spaces, and arising out of the desire to scape usual behaviors and street demarcations, by creating new paths and alternative behaviors, each of Miranda's performances propose a (dis)located body, a nomadic gaze and the construction of temporary schemes, meetings, losses, relationships, and symbolic exchanges. Their figurations announce other possible relationships between people and their surroundings, from a perspective that acknowledges and incorporates presences and absences as equally important events. By emphasizing discrete gestures and displacements, and incorporating the audience as informal performers, these works are presented not as a show, but as an event, which by at the moment of being lived, creates a space of otherness, and proposes the practice of freedom.
The Regina Miranda & ActorsDancers Company, founded in 1980, has established its unique signature by the interweaving of theater, visual arts, literature and dance, and the in depth study of the individual movement patterns and artistic qualities of the company members. Drawing from this diverse materials, Miranda creates what she designates - Choreographic Theater.
The Company’s creative work has been theoretically grounded in "Body-Space Connections (BSc)”, Miranda’s actualization of Rudolf Laban’s movement theories: dialoguing with topology and incorporating complexity theory and systems thinking, Miranda extended the labanian field by creating an ontology of movement that beyond creating the grounds for her Choreographic Theater, offers paths to being and becoming on stage and beyond.
The Regina Miranda & ActorsDancers Company's repertoire includes more than 30 full-night creations, and numerous short pieces and performances both for traditional stages as well as for galleries, museums, and public spaces. Staged throughout Brazil and in many countries of the world, the company received numerous awards, and continues to captivate the most diverse audiences. Among the most recent works, “Vertigo of Lists” (2014), "Manuscripts of Leonardo" (2013), "Klein & Clarke: Practices of Freedom" (2011 ), "Personal Geographies" (2009 ) , "Orpheus" (2005 ) , "Empty Legs" (2003 ) and "Rooms for Rent" (2002), have been especially significant for the continued expansion of the company’s scenic signature. It is important to highlight the company’s most famous work - "Divine Comedy" (1991), a 6000 m2 choreographic installation that occupied all of the spaces of the Rio de Janeiro Museum of Modern Art, which up to nowadays is considered a milestone in the city's performing arts’ scene.
Regina enjoys to collaborate with dramaturges and play-writers, directing and/or choreographing for theater. She has a long time partnership with the dramaturg/psychoanalyst author Antonio Quinet, with whom she directed Hilda & Freud, premiered in 2013 at the Freud Museum, in London, and then performed with variations in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. With the same author, she also directed "Freudian Variations" (2011), and "-Open the Hysterics!" (2013).
Previously, she is proud of having directed the play "Disfigured" (2006), which she also adapted with the actor Edilson Botelho. The play focused on the live and work of the visual artist Francis Bacon. With the collaboration of set designer Niura Bellavinha, the light design of Luis Paulo Nenen, and the great acting of Edilson Botelho and Paulo Marques, the raving reviews pointed to the 3D embodiment of Bacon's pictures and life.
In 2016, Miranda was invited by the Group.BR, which is the only Brazilian theater company of NYC, to direct "Inside the Wild Heart", based on the life and works of famous Brazilian author Clarice Lispector. The interactive performance had a successful season at the Immersive Gallery in Nov-December, and is indicated for BEST PERFORMANCE by the Press Award, and alBest Actor and Best Actress.
Conferences
Regina conceived and coordinated numerous conferences in Brazil and abroad. She is currently coordinating the LABAN 2022 International Conference, which will take place at the cultural center Casa França-Brasil, on June 22nd to 25th. Please click the conference website at www.conferencialabanrio.com
- Rio Cidade Criativa 2010-2020
The project, created in January of 2010, brings together a multigenerational interdisciplinary collective of professionals who, understanding the role of culture in the future of cities, develop local and international projects and initiatives, which enphasize the role of arts and culture as drivers of urban and social transformation.
Regina Miranda, together with a collaborative team of experts, was responsible for the project Rio Creative City 2010 - 2020, which encompassed several initiatives, among which:
International Forum Rio Creative City:
This annual event, held in partnership with the City Government / Culture Department and the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro - MAM RJ, had five editions from 2010 to 2014. In addition to presenting themes of immediate local interest and numerous artistic performances, the Forum was the main site for the participatory discussions of the Agenda 21 for Culture / RJ.
Diálogos 21 Cultura / Dialogues 21 Culture
Informal gatherings that highlighted different artistic fields aiming knowledge sharing and a closer relationship with the audience.
Corpo Coletivo (Collective Body)
A performing arts collective dedicated to the development of Interactive Performances in Public Spaces. Collective Body proposes Performance as a means of expression and transmission of knowledge about behavior, engagement, creativity, and city construction, therefore as a format that facilitates effectiveness and conditions for the understanding of the experience of living in society.
Conferences (since the year 2000)
Recognized as an international cultural leader and a spoke person of the Laban field, Miranda is constantly invited as a keynote speaker, lecturer, and master teacher. Speaking four languages, she transits with fluency around the world, interweaving performing arts’ themes, with others that relate to arts and culture in cities’ development.
Theater and Dance are collaborative arts, but some works are really creative collaborations. The Regina Miranda & Actors Dancers Company created the group "Collective Body" to work in interactive collaborative performances. Regina has also ongoing partnership with fashion designer Luiza Marcier, both for her fashion parades and catalogues, which are choreographers by Regina, as well as Luiza being the costume designer for Regina's creations.
Since 2001, Regina Miranda has been dividing her life between Rio de Janeiro and New York City. In both cities, she traverses the artistic, cultural, and political worlds with unusual fluency, combining a successful career as an artist, cultural administrator and leadership consultant.
Ms. Miranda accumulates more than 20 years of experience as the CEO and Artistic Director of numerous cultural institutions in Brazil and in the US, always envisioning programs to stimulate creativity, innovation, and the empowerment of women and new leaders.
In NYC, Miranda was dedicated to the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, LIMS®, one of the top organisations in the world for the study of movement in all walks of life. She was twice elected as LIMS' Chief Executive Officer and was LIMS’ Director of Arts & Culture for 18 years.
In Rio, since 1994, she directs the Centro LABAN-Rio; in 2010 she also founded the organisation Cidade Criativa / Cultural Transformations and, since 1980, she has been the Artistic Director/Choreographer of thechoreographic Theater company - Regina Miranda & ActorsDancers Co..
Previously, Miranda was the Founding Director of the Choreographic Center of the CIty of Rio de Janeiro (2003-2008); Directed the Casa Laura Alvim Cultural Center; the Dance Department of the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro; and the Performing Arts Department of Fundição Progresso. She has also been part of numerous Cultural Councils, both in Brazil and the US. Currently, she is a member of the Rio de Janeiro City Council.
Miranda collaborated in numerous Theater and Opera productions, Films and TV Series. The first photo is from the long series "Gabriela", directed by Mauro Mendonça Filho (2014), where Regina was in charge of the famous cabaret Bataclã, and of the character composition of all actors.
The second set of photos belongs to the musical film “Opera do Malandro”, directed by Ruy Guerra, music by Chico Buarque and choreography by ReginaMiranda.
Most recently, Miranda was the Laban acting coach for Oscar Winner actress Michelle Williams, in preparation for the Broadway play "Blackbird", which opened in NYC on March 10, 2016.
Miranda traverses the business and cultural worlds with unusual fluency, combining a successful career as leadership consultant and theater director/choreographer. Teaching and mentoring have been for Regina a way to inspire people to create together, to make bridges across cultures and languages, to learn about one's personal movement signature, moreover to share the joy of feeling embodied and creating meaningful relationships. And she has been doing that in Europe, Africa, Middle East, South America, and constantly in Brazil and in the US.
Living and working in New York and in Rio de Janeiro, she has been directing public and private cultural institutions, consulting for corporations and mentoring business professionals, artists and public leaders in private practice.
In New York, she has been at the helm of the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies since 2001. Privately, she worked as a teacher and/or consultant for WNBA, Craigs Foundation, and the Aspen Institute, among others. In Brazil, Miranda is the founding director of Laban Rio (1997-present), an organisation that brings together leadership development, the arts, creative economy and civic life. Previously, she directed the Performing Arts Department of the Museum of Modern Art – MAM RJ; International Affairs at Fundição Progresso, RJ; the Laura Alvim Cultural Center; and was the founding Director of the City of Rio de Janeiro Choreographic Center.
She is especially proud of having designed and coordinated one of the most successful arts & leadership programs of the city of Rio de Janeiro: the Choreographic Atelier. This one year program brought together people from economically challenged communities and the wealthiest parts of the city, to closely work with the best teachers of Rio and international guests. The impact of this program is still felt by its members, who became leaders in diverse fields.
Regina Miranda has been curating performing arts programs in Brazil and the US.
The Events in NYC curated by Regina Miranda happened during her tenure as LIMS Director of Arts & Culture (2001-2019). They included the annual event MOSAIC (2003 - 2018) and the Dance Performance Atelier (2006 - 2018); Spring Forward (2006 - 2018), and Moving Dialogues (2016). In 2016, Miranda curated the Scores+Traces, presented by LIMS in partnership with Simon Fraser University, Canada. The exhibition presented close to 20 arts & technology visual arts’ works, and interactive performances.
In 2018, Regina created ECOPOETIC an international project for public urban spaces. In its 1st edition, Ecopoetic celebrated LIMS 40th Anniversary drawing dancers and choreographers from multiple countries, who occupied the Washington Square Park on June 1st, 2018. ECOPOETIC 2022 will happen at the LABAN 2022 International Conference (link below for more information)
Currently, Miranda is the Theater and Dance Curator for the NYC-based international project Artists for Peace. Please click the link to visit the project’s website at: Artists 4 Peace
In Brazil, nowadays her main project is the LABAN 2022 International Conference, which will take place at Casa França-Brasil, on June 22nd-25th, 2022. Please visit the conference site at Conferencia Laban 2022
Miranda’s recent curatorial works in Rio include the Forum Rio Creative City 2010-2020, a multi media conference that has happened annually at the Rio de Janeiro Museum of Modern Art, MAM RJ.
Previously, as the Founding Director of the City of Rio de Janeiro Choreographic Center, Miranda created and curated 21 artistic projects (2004-2009)
In addition to writing essays and articles for specialized books, Miranda wrote Body-Space (Corpo-Espaço), her personal approach to the Laban System (2008); Laban Lead, where she approaches leadership as art (2009); organized the book "Rio Creative City: Culture as Fourth Pillar of Development (2012); was the dance editor of the Magazine GESTO, and has been the editor of Movement News, currently in Blog format.
LEONARDO'S NOTEBOOKS - Text and Direction
Regina Miranda is our greatest Laban specialist. Therefore, the highly dynamic and expressive scene that she imposes on stage is to be expected. The movement score is impeccably performed by Marina Salomon and Patricia Niedermeier, who are also perfect in their articulation of the text. So, we are in front of a performance that is beyond most of what can be seen on the stages of Rio. A performance that deserves to be unconditionally recognized by all the audiences - at least the ones that believe that theater should not be stagnant, but flowthrough unconventionalpaths. - Lionel Fischer, Theater Review, 2014
EMPTY LEGS - Text and Direction
"It is an experimental work, which integrates dance and theater. Regina Miranda is a recognized choreographer and this work is her premiere as a playwright. The play is disconcerting and extremely courageous. It imprints in the spectator an uneasiness that we consider necessary in the crazy times that we are living. There are three women. they live in a prison. That's what they say. A prison of flesh and stone. What binds them together is an anxiety that is more visible in one, than in another. But they all share it and find difficult to accept it...because this is not written...it is not written that to live with anxiety is acceptable...nowadays there are drugs for everything. But they accept it. They fight with each other when it becomes unbearable, but they have learned. In fact, the understanding came at once...in the day of the tower attack." - Mauro Costa, Revista Polêmica Imagem, 2003 (#11)
AVENIDA BRASIL - Choreography
"A skillfully structured work with shifting patterns and recurrent movements. These include leg extensions, tumbling, chainé turns and weight shifts in low-slung bodies. Leaps and back falls from mainstream modern dance are present. Ms. Miranda uses her dance grammar confidently, and she excels at working with stillness against percussive sound." - Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times, Dec.7, 1999
"Regina Miranda is a Brazilian reference!" - Helena Katz, O Estado de São Paulo, 1995
