I’ve rarely ever been this excited to see a dance company. I had absolutely no idea what to expect and to be quite honest, to have seen Grupo Corpo with virgin eyes was one of the most intoxicating experiences I’ve ever had watching dance. And I completely understand what all the hype is about.

Brothers Rodrigo and Paulo Pederneiras (choreographer and artistic director, respectively) are not only interested in making dance beautiful to watch (which they do) and enjoyable (which they master) but also in keeping it a step ahead of itself as a concept. In a 2002 interview, during a North American tour that began at BAM, Rodrigo talked finding “the rhythm that is underneath the rhythm.” His genius lies in not only finding that elusive rhythm himself but by inviting us to look, using his 21 classically trained dancers as our guides, as well.

Benguelê is a piece that takes you on a journey between two Africas: the Africa that runs in the veins of Brazilian history and culture and Africa as the motherland. It is about the longing for the past and the desire to find harmony in the present. Most striking is the resemblance to animal-like movement the dancers are able to tap into: a kind of primitive chaos.

Breu, it can be said, is a negative of the first piece. Where one was nostalgic and eventually joyous, Breu is about devastation and violence. It was as though Rodrigo wanted to show us the world full of hope and color and then immediately remind us of the reality we are presently living in: stark and metallic, caught between moments of inertia followed by moments of panic. There are no words to the music; it is more like a collage of sounds with moments of surprising, loud, abrupt, edgy and aggressive compositions.

Benguelê and Breu / Grupo Corpo / BAM Howard Gilman Opera House / 30 Lafayette Ave.

March 25, 27-29 at 7:30 (718) 636-4100 or BAM.org

-Maria Galeano