The Art of Burle Marx, a mass choreography led by Bryn Walters at the Olympic Games Rio 2016

Abstract

The artistic production entitled The Art of Burle Marx was led by Bryn Walters and his choreographic team. This artistic project was conceived to be staged in the closing ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brasil). This mass choreography makes extensive use of video mapping to enhance the choreographic sequences, as is to be found throughout both the opening and closing Ceremonies. Bryn Walters created this artistic work by reinterpreting, with 480 performers and the use of video projections, the main geometric shapes for which the Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx is so well known. Through a careful analysis of the official video, using the Elan software, together with the consultation of ceremony programmes and interviews with the choreographers, the main moments of this mass choreography will be researched and highlighted, with the aim of tracing the recognizable characteristics of Burle Marx’s work. It is possible to conclude that the choreographer Bryn Walter has achieved a successful reconstruction and dissemination of the work of the architect Burle Marx, thanks to a complex collaboration between different professionals, which enhanced the relationship between the performers and the video projections.

Keywords

• dance
• closing ceremony
• video mapping
• artistic tribute