Baderna

In Brazilian Portuguese dictionaries: Ba.der.na - Noun

Disturbance caused by a group of people; chaos, confusion, disorder. A group of unqualified or rebellious people; a crowd, a rebellious bunch. Nightlife.

Supported by the Fonds Darstellende Künste, the BADERNA research project stems from Lívia Delgado’s concept, exploring migration and artistic exchange. The project was co-developed with artists Mari Paula, Eric Bitencourt, Joanna Fatorelli, Justin De Jager, Manu Galdeano, and Sandro Amaral.

Her reference to Baderna comes from Marietta Baderna, a 19th-century Italian dancer and exile in Brazil. The project embraces her rebellious legacy and cross-cultural influence. Marietta challenged societal norms by integrating Afro-Brazilian dance into classical ballet, ultimately transforming her name into a synonym for chaos and disorder in Brazilian dictionaries. The aim of the research—and future performances convey also to resignify the word Baderna.

The research unfolded through tools investigating movement, change, and exchange, grounded in the theoretical approach of Karen Barad’s agential realism and the philosophy of antropy. Baderna is currently continuing by sharing the previous process with selected women artists with migratory backgrounds—artists with distinct experiences who contribute to the development of the narrative, incorporating their personal perspectives and artistic skills using the tools proposed in the earlier phase of the research.

Alongside this, new branches and projects have emerged, such as Presence on Stage and Raíz.