52blue by Francisco Thiago Cavalcanti

A lone whale called 52 Blue wanders the ocean, singing a song. A song accompanied by a ghostlike soundscape. How can life exist without the presence of the other, of another, of someone else?

Whales sing to survive, to mate, to travel, to pass the time, and also for no reason at all. 52 Blue, a “special” species of whale, calls at the frequency of 52 hertz, a pitch so high that no other whale can bear its company. As for human beings: what makes people distance themselves and find being with others unbearable? We know, don’t we? And singing… Do you only sing in the shower? Singing can be a cry for help. Relaxation. Lust.

This piece is performed by a body that dances and another body that makes music. In a solitary manner. They are the whale that could never live among us, because it doesn’t fit in that existence. It is inadequate. It’s a big whale, alone and blue, singing a song that cannot be heard.

It’s sad. It’s beautiful. It’s a song that makes us cry.

— Francisco Thiago Cavalcanti


After being one of the projects selected to be part of the In Ex(ile) Lab, 52blue is now an Alkantara production. Francisco Thiago Cavalcanti's dance solo has already had an avant-premiere at the Santarcangelo Festival 2024, where it was presented after an artistic residency at La Caldera, in Barcelona.

52blue will premiere on 23 November, at Teatro do Bairro Alto, as part of the Alkantara Festival 2024.

Credits

Performed, created and directed by Francisco Thiago Cavalcanti Dramaturgy and direction assistance Piero Ramella External eye António Pocinho Rivotti Mentorship Ntando Cele and Nadia Beugré Lighting design and technical direction To be confirmed Music Gustavo Portela Video Gustavo Portela/Varanda Criativa Photography Jamille Queiroz Voice and movement work António Pocinho Rivotti Producer Sinara Suzin for Alkantara Produced by Alkantara Coproduced by Alkantara Supported by Alkantara, In Ex(ile) Lab - Creative Europe, Santarcangelo Festival/European Festivals Fund For Emerging Artists, La Caldera and Teatro da Voz/Real Pelágio Artistic residencies Fórum Dança, Alkantara, Teatro da Voz, Santarcagelo Dei Teatri, La Caldera, Porto Iracema das Artes and Companhia Anagoor/La Conigliera

A little motivational letter

People who are going to read this...

I have the feeling that all the work I do or I'm going to do already exists in my head or is hovering in the universe. I believe that we look for things and things look for us.

I've been obsessed with whales since I was a child. I watched Spielberg's film Jaws and I was terrified of this bloodthirsty fish, the sea was mysterious to me. I was fascinated by whales. What is that sound they make? Why do they sing? Why do I feel like crying or falling asleep when I hear it? Whales frequented my dreams. I discovered that humpback whales migrate to the coast of Bahia to mate. I really wanted to go to Abrolhos during whale season, but I could never afford it. Lia Rodrigues, the choreographer I worked with in Brazil, had been to an ecological reserve in Colombia where she told me that when she dived into the sea near the beach, and she could hear the whales singing. It blew my mind!

Sometimes I think there is no such thing as a whale, it's like a dinosaur or it's a collective dream. While I was living in Rio, there was once a whale stranded in Ipanema. I heard about it and went to see it, but it was horrible, the whale was decomposing and it looked like a big liver. It wasn't worth it.

Living in Portugal, so far away from my family, I decided to do a play about great journeys, great migrations. With insomnia, there were two things that put me to sleep: the sound of whales on YouTube and a quiet record by Gal, her sweet, cosy and high-pitched voice. I'm on the autism spectrum (mild) and one of the things that destabilises me is the very loud sound of sirens, the tapping of the soles and heels of some shoes, the whistle warning of closing doors on the undergroud. Gal's voice and the sound of whales are a hug for me.

In January 2023 I did a residency to create my new performance called Cantar, at an event organised by choreographer João Fiadeiro called A pele nômada - 30 anos LAB/Projectos em Movimento. This occasion was the starting point for me to develop my research into whales, migrations, Gal Costa, refugees, dreamers, utopians, pirates, soundscapes, 100 ways of moving through space. I also had the desire to perform alone. To think about my autism, my loneliness and my inadequacy. A solo with a great musician called 52blue or 52hertz.

52 hertz is an absurdly high sound frequency made by a blue whale that lives alone in the ocean; the sound is so loud that no one can get close. How to perform this? What does it have to do with longing, lack, loneliness?

This work has been approved by the In Ex(ile) Lab project and it will be produced by Alkantara, so that I can develop it during the years 2023/24. I'm very happy to be able to exist with the projects I've been creating, idealising, imagining... And never alone.