Sonia Destri Lie, often known simply as Sonia Destri, is a Brazilian dancer and choreographer. In 2005, she formed Companhia Urbana de Dança, a
hip hop group, which has achieved increasing international recognition. Destri has recruited and trained dancers from
Rio
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
's
favelas, whatever their social or ethnic backgrounds.
Early life and education
Born in
Rio de Janeiro, Destri was born into an Italian family. Her father was a company lawyer, her mother painted, and she has a sister and two brothers. She spent her childhood in one of the rather British suburbs where, following her sister's example, she attended ballet classes from the age of four. The French teacher quickly recognized her talent and she continued her training until she was 15. While she was studying psychology at the
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, she realized she could take jazz and modern dance classes in her spare time. She later graduated as a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance.
Career
Destri moved in and out of Brazil, studying jazz, classical ballet and dance at every opportunity. Training with
Pina Bausch,
Alwin Nikolais
Alwin Nikolais (November 25, 1910 – May 8, 1993) was an American choreographer, dancer, composer, musician, teacher. He had created the Nikolais Dance Theatre, and was best known for his self-designed innovative costume, lighting and production d ...
and
Twyla Tharp, she has also gained experience in theatre, television and film, collaborating with Mauricio Sherman, Roberto Talma, Marly Tavares and Lennie Dale.
[ In the 1990s, she went to Germany to teach contemporary dance and Brazilian jazz at Tanz Hause in Düsseldorf and in dance schools in Cologne and around Germany. She became increasingly interested in urban dance, street jazz and hip hop, both in Germany and on her return to Brazil.]Biennale de Lyon
Biennale (), Italian for "biennial" or "every other year", is any event that happens every two years. It is most commonly used within the art world to describe large-scale international contemporary art exhibitions. As such the term was popula ...
in 2006. Since then, many of the dancers in the group have changed while Destri has consistently encouraged the participation of members of Brazil's three cultural groups, indigenous, European and African, irrespective of their social background.
The company has also performed in Biarritz
Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. ...
(2008), Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...
(2010) and Suresnes (2011). They have also appeared at various venues in the United States. Their 2010 début at the New York City Center was ranked among the top 10 dance performances of the year.[ In 2013, for the first time, the group received some government funding, opening opportunities for the future.][
]
Awards
Sonia Destri has received the Best Choreography Prize from the UNESCO Conseil International de la Danse, the Staging Award (2011) from the State of Rio de Janeiro for the Companhia Urbana de Dança's Eu Danço,[ and the FADA Award from the City Hall of Rio de Janeiro (2012 and 2013).]
See also
* List of dancers
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Destri Lie, Sonia
Brazilian female dancers
Brazilian choreographers
Brazilian women choreographers
Brazilian people of Italian descent
Dancers from Rio de Janeiro (city)
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)