Afro-Brazilian Dance Company Viver Brasil Returns to Sierra Madre Playhouse, Oct. 17 & 18

Presented by Sierra Madre Playhouse

The celebrated Afro- Brazilian dance company Viver Brasil returns to Sierra Madre Playhouse with two performances of Rezas e Folhas (Prayers and Leaves), a genre-defying ritualistic work with live musical accompaniment fusing tradition and revolution by noted choreographer and company Co-Artistic Director Vera Passos, on Friday, October 17, and Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:30 pm. 

Rooted in the sacred traditions of Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religious complex, the contemporary work embraces the power of dance to reimagine a life-affirming future grounded in Black and Indigenous traditions. It uplifts the ancestral knowledge of Orixá, divine nature spirits, and Caboclo practices – centering Afro-Brazilian herbalism as a potent response to ecological and spiritual crises. With bold movement, live music, and ritual storytelling, Rezas e Folhas channels the wisdom of the earth and invites audiences into a space of healing, memory, and collective transformation.
 
LA Dance Chronicle proclaims, “Rezas e Folhas is not a performance—it’s an offering. A ritual. A deep breath of renewal.”

Passos, originally from Salvador, Bahia, is a pioneering choreographer, teacher, and acclaimed performer whose deep-seated relationship with Afro-Brazilian movement and music sets her apart in the field of contemporary dance. As a Black Bahian woman and master of Orixá and Caboclo dances, Passos carries the sacred rhythms and stories of this tradition forward. Through her choreographic and pedagogic practice, she reifies a central learning passed down by her elders – our bodies are a divine mirror for the natural world around us.

 The development of Rezas e Folhas was made possible through generous funding from The LA County Performing Arts Recovery Grant administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation, The New England Foundation for the Arts: National Dance Project, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Viver Brasil, a Los Angeles-based legacy-bearing institution, was established in 1997 by Co-Founders/Co-Artistic Directors Linda Yudin and Luiz Badaró. In 2022, it welcomed Vera Passos as Co-Artistic Director. Viver Brasil creates culturally rooted and aesthetically bold Afro-Brazilian dance theater with its signature blend of ancestral practices, street styles, and live music, addressing contemporary issues of racial and social inequity towards a radically reimagined future. 

For tickets ($12-$35) and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit www.sierramadreplayhouse.org. Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

Date:
Venue:
Sierra Madre Playhouse
Organization:
Sierra Madre Playhouse
Genres:
Dance
Categories:
Live Event
City: Sierra Madre
Price Range:
$12-$35
Email:
info@sierramadreplayhouse.org
Phone:
(626) 355-4318
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Sierra Madre Playhouse

Sierra Madre Playhouse

87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
United States

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Sierra Madre Playhouse, a vibrant Southern California cultural hub with a rich history spanning a century, energizes audiences and the community with distinctive theatrical productions and captivating live performances. 

 

Hailed as a “jewel” (Pasadena Weekly) and “a landmark theater” (ABC7 Los Angeles), it has garnered tremendous accolades for its varied repertoire and thought-provoking education and outreach programs curated with social impact in mind. The Los Angeles Times proclaims, “This is theater from the heart.” As one of San Gabriel Valley’s only performing arts center presenting a broad spectrum of performance genres, including theater, music, dance, film, comedy, and family-friendly productions featuring eminent local and national professional artists, the treasured artistic beacon draws audiences from across the Southland. 

 

The intimate 99-seat Sierra Madre Playhouse offers an up-close and personal connection to performances that resonate deeply, earning multiple Ovation Awards, NAACP Awards, and LA Times Critics' Choice honors. In 2023, Rep. Judy Chu named the Sierra Madre Playhouse as a leading ‘Nonprofit of the Year’ in the San Gabriel Valley. The playhouse was given the honor during the 2023 Congressional Leadership of the Year Awards, which recognizes the leadership and volunteerism in the cities making up California’s 28th Congressional District. It is nestled into a historic building on the inviting Main Street of Sierra Madre, a charming village in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. 

 

Retaining its distinctive movie theater façade and instantly recognizable marquee, the structure has undergone numerous transformations since opening in 1910, from furniture emporium to silent movie theatre to the artistic institution that now stands as a vibrant embodiment of the region’s rich cultural legacy. The Sierra Madre Playhouse fosters creativity that aspires to bridge divides and spark dialogue, all while celebrating the rich tapestry of the American experience and the enduring pursuit of shared understanding.