Show “Pica-Pau Brasil”

Images from the show “Pica-Pau Brasil,” featuring the performance of Zélia Monteiro. The images come from the Multimeios Collection of the São Paulo Cultural Center.

Klauss Vianna (1928–1992), in July 1990, had the idea to create a dance work inspired by the art of Brazilian painter Tarsila do Amaral (1886–1973). He intended to explore the dance implicit in the painter’s work as well as in the modernist movement of the Semana de 22 (Week of Modern Art), which had not been represented in this artistic language.

In May 1992, musician Danilo Tomic and dancer Zélia Monteiro joined forces to bring the project to life.

During the creative process, plastic artist Paulo Von Poser, musician Edson Werneck, singer Madalena Bernardes, and costume designer Tereza Monteiro joined the team. The project became an expression of the relationship between music, dance, and visual arts, inspired by Tarsila’s artistic journey.

“Pica-Pau Brasil” is the name of Heitor Villa-Lobos’s (1887–1959) Choro No. 3, dedicated by him to Tarsila do Amaral and Oswald de Andrade (1890–1954).