Ponto de Partida's Release

The memory of our life is kept in
several passages, each one with its sign and feeling.
To narrate straight and tacked, only when the things are of shallow importance.
Guimarães Rosa – Brazilian writer


“I had wonderments when I heard Roda que Rola. From this sample I can evaluate the talent of the group. I’m sure that Ponto de Partida has a universal worth .I hope you come true all dreams you may dream. A strong hug from the friend and admirer.
Manoel de Barros – Brazilian poet

“With a great and immense respect, a memory of these magic days in what refers to the existence of such special group of the Brazilian theater”
(At the end of the workshop in Barbacena, April, 2000)
Fernanda Montenegro – Brazilian actress


“I have been following the last twelve years of the exceptional work of Ponto de Partida, from Barbacena, and I had the chance of feeling, from very close, the creative capacity, the freedom of speech of its shows, its never stopped survey on a “mineira” culture, the real. The one that only people like those actors, poets and musicians know that exist.
Sérgio Brito – Brazilian actor


“I beg you, dear Regina, to transmit to your fellows from Ponto de Partida my tender embrace and my deep admiration.
Jorge Amado – Brazilian writer


“Thanks for the most grateful surprise of knowing, after your heart, your talent. God bless you.”
Adélia Prado – Brazilian poet


“To Ponto de Partida, that knows how to read moonlight in Raul. With my thanks and my caress for ever.
Bartolomeu C. Queirós – Brazilian writer


“I’ve already traveled everywhere through this world. I’ve played and sung with too many children, adults, orchestras, but something like this was the first time. A godly gift that Oxalá should have given me. And I want to say that, even the “mineiro” who don’t know the things from Minas, should look inside , since it’s something very serious.”
Milton Nascimento – Brazilian



singer
The Ponto de Partida is a group of theater from Minas Gerais that, when it appeared, 27 years ago, it decided that it would not emigrate from Barbacena, it´s town, but it would not accept the limits of the province either. It would open bites to break the country, it would revisit the memory to aspirate address in the universe, it would investigate a language to put the Brazilian man in the center of the stage, in the main role.

On these twenty-seven years the Ponto de Partida became an itinerant and independent company of repertoire, with 19 professionals in permanent exercise, with 28 mounted shows, 4 CDs, a DVD and it coined a mark. It systematized processes and creation, methods and production, it conquered partnerships, it built a repertoire of Brazilian most solid dramaturgy, it inaugurated a song learned in the womb of Minas Geraes and it broke strong of the bowels of Minas Geraes resounding for Brazil and the great distances of Africa, Europe and South America.

In their adventures for the exterior it marks it’s passage through France, when it came in the headquarters of Unesco, in 1995, representing Brazil in the commemorations of 50th anniversary of UN and in 2005, when it launched the DVD Ser Minas Tão Gerais, in partnership with Milton Nascimento and the Boys from Araçuaí, in Paris.

The Ponto de Partida works with referential characters of the Brazilian and Latin-American culture and with anonymous boys, policemen, workers. It presented in the most sophisticated theaters, of Champs-Élysées, in Paris or the Municipal of Rio de Janeiro to improvised spaces, in factories, in schools, in squares, in ruins of castles, in historical constructions. It conquered national and international prizes, as the Medal of the Cultural Merit, of the Presidency of the Republic, the Medal of Inconfidência, from the government of Minas Geraes and its public's respect with whom it established fertile and passionate bows.

Now the Ponto de Partida is the direct responsible for the formation or the work of 211 people. The 19 professionals of the group, that are at the same time actors, singers, producers, mobilizers, technicians, musicians, teachers, directors, 9 musicians that work as masters in Bituca – University of Popular Music and in the Casa de Arte&Ofício and they act in the musical shows of the group, 120 apprentices of Bituca - University of Popular Music, 40 children of the choir of the Boys from Araçuaí and 8 professionals that work permanently in its technical team.

It seems, sometimes, that the Ponto de Partida is not a theater group, but a cultural foundation that has to maintain its performance in the level of the excellence, so that all those projects are efficient, fertile and pleasurable. However the indescribable work that all this forces us to do didn't steal us the passion, the humility of respecting the mysteries, the patience of maturing desires to the dew, the courage of exploring the country, the happiness for great fights, the pleasure of inventing histories, the habit of crooking the direction of the things and the certainty that when the dream and the work are joined, even the miracle is possible.



Projects
Bituca - University of Popular Music
A free tuition school with vocational character, that uses a process of integral formation, working with common repertoire, as in the erudite schools, turned to the Brazilian music. It teaches 9 instruments, song besides musicality for the method Kodaly, musical perception, rhythmic perception, harmony, improvisation and creation, group practice, preparation for the stage, production, ethics, mobilization, leadership and formation of groups, common practice to all students.

Bituca - University of Popular Music is settled in an of the buildings of “Sericícola”, first factory of silk cloth of Brazil, whose history mixes with the Italian immigration in Minas Geraes, 1888, with the industrial development of the beginning of the century, with the feminine work in Brazil, and that was restored with the partnership of the Friend’s Club of Ponto de Partida and of the Gerdau-Açominas.

Casa de Arte&Ofício Ponto de Partida
Course of integral formation for actors, that it uses the systematized methodology by the group Ponto de Partida.

Boys from Araçuaí
Choir from the project “Ser Criança” (To Be a Child), of the Popular Center of Culture and Development with which the group works for seven years. They recorded the CD Roda que Rola (The Wheel that Rolls) and they set up the shows Roda que Rola, and Santa Ceia (Holy Supper) Ser Minas Tão Gerais, with Milton Nascimento's participation. This show was registered in DVD.

If when the Ponto de Partida began the work with the Boys from Araçuaí they were a promise and their investment a hope, today it is the concrete proof that to mix in the same boiler wings and roots, work and desires, not only recovers remote inheritances, but the dignity that the wisdom and the power to create restore in the man.

House of Boys’Dwelling
Six adolescents that are part of the choir of the Boys from Araçuaí and that are already more determined to follow an artistic career or present talent for an art that has to be exercised from very early, moved to Barbacena, where they continue their regular studies and they make their professional formation. Chicken of Chicks: a mother was hired to take care of the house and the boys.

Formation and change of experiences
It is characteristic of the Ponto de Partida to exercise in a formation process and permanent improvement.

Formation: Fernanda Montenegro, Sérgio Britto, Natália Timberg, Cacá Carvalho, Álvaro Apocalypse, Ulisses Cruz, Bia Lessa, Fernando Peixoto, Fernando Limoeiro, Giramundo, Pedro Paulo Cava, Maria Azambuja, Eládio Perez González, Marcos Leite, Aurélio di Simone, Jorginho de Carvalho, Reiner Vianna, Rui Moreira, Bete Arenque, Wagner Moreira, Paulo Santos, Serginho Silva, Babaya and Gilvan de Oliveira, that are all great Brazilian artists.

Participation in shows: the singer, Milton Nascimento and the actor, Nelson Xavier.

Continuous participation with the group: Gilvan of Oliveira (acoustic guittar player) Babaya (vocal teacher), Jorginho de Carvalho (light designer), Tânia Werneck, Alexandre Rousset and Tereza Bruzzi (costumer designers).

Business Companies & Ponto de Partida
The companies, ONG's and foundations search, in the process of the scenic and creative work of the group, elements to touch, motivate, make aware, form their employees or the community involved in its production process and improvement.

Some partners in the last 5 years: Ministry of the Culture, General office of the Human rights of the Ministry of the Justice, Secretary of State of the Culture of Minas Gerais, Military police of Minas Gerais, IPHAN, SESC, SENAC, FIEMG, BNDES, SINEP, ABERGE, CDL.
Companies: Gerdau-Açominas, Usiminas, Vale do Rio Doce, Belgo, Cemig, Cedar, Fábrica São José, Móveis Itatiaia, Rede Pitágoras.
Foundations: Ayrton Senna, Abrinq, Acesita, Instituto Cellular Telemig, Odebrecht, Social Itaú.

Permanent partnership: Popular Center of Culture and Development (CPCD) and Bank of Êxitos S.A.
Patronage: now the Ponto de Partida is sponsored by Cellular Telemig and Gerdau-Açominas.

Project of Cultural Mobilization
CAPP - Club of the Friends of the Ponto de Partida
“This is the rule: or the blessed lord governs the country or the damned country governs the people.”
João Guimarães Rosa – Brazilian writer

When the Ponto de Partida decided to try alternative roads to cut the “backlands” the challenges were so frightening that only taking our convictions to the last consequences, we would get to move forward. We went to the fight! If there were not great sponsors we would conquer dozens of small ones, if they were insufficient, we would summon the citizens, if the public had given up the shows, we would sell tickets from door to door, hand in hand, we would visit each classroom of all schools, we would roam the streets singing and announcing: it is pressing to abandon the comfortable twilight of the audience to conquer, on the stage and in the history, a speech and a role.

The guy from Minas Gerais is a stubborn one, who likes to have under control the reins of its horse, he wouldn’t escape from that fight, he entered with all weapons in the fight! CAPP was invented - Club of the Friends of the Ponto de Partida, hundreds of people contribute annually to the activities of the group, becoming partners in the creation and support of one of the most potent movements of Minas Gerais. Today not only them, but thousands of dispersed people all over Brazil and each one, to its way, accomplishes the task of marking, with its trace, the directions of the History.

CD'S and DVD's:
Estação XV(Station XV), winner of the Prize Sharp, in 1996
Roda que Rola (The Wheel that Rolls), with the participation of the Boys from Araçuaí
Pietá, participation in Milton Nascimento's record.
Ser Minas Tão Gerais: DVD of the show, with the Boys from Araçuaí and Milton Nascimento.
O Menino e o Poeta (The Boy and the Poet), with Pablo Bertola and band.
Pra Nhá Terra (To Mother Earth), with the Boys from Araçuaí and Milton Nascimento.

Shows
Arca de Noé (The Noah's Ark) - 1980
Music by Vinícius of Moraes
Text and direction: Regina Bertola

Um, dois ,três, agora é nossa vez (One,two, three, now is our turn) - 1982
Text: Regina Bertola
Direction: Fernando Limoeiro

Contrastes - a poética de Chico Buarque (Contrasts - the poetic of Chico Buarque) -1982
Music by Chico Buarque
Text: Ivanée and Regina Bertola
Direction: Regina Bertola

Saltimbancos (Acrobats)- 1984
Version and adaptation: Chico Buarque
Direction: Regina Bertola

Se essa rua fosse minha (If that street were mine) - 1986
Research: Ponto de Partida
Text: Regina Bertola
Direction: Bia Lessa and Regina Bertola

O que é, o que é? -1987
Conception: Ponto de Partida

Estripulias de anjo (Angel's mischiefs) - 1987
Text and direction: Regina Bertola

Drummond - 1987
Program and direction: Regina Bertola

Travessia (Crossing) - 1987
Conception and direction: Regina Bertola

Cantaramar - 1987
Adaptation and direction: Regina Bertola

A Vaquinha Lelé (Lelé Little Cow) - 1989
Text: Ronaldo Ciambroni
Direction: Regina Bertola

O Beco – A Ópera do Lixo (The Alley - the Opera of the Garbage) - 1990
Text and direction: Regina Bertola
Os Gnomos contam a história do Gato Malhado e da Andorinha Sinhá (The Gnomes tell the history of the Spotted Cat and the Swallow Sinhá) - 1992
Text: Jorge Amado
Conception: Ponto de Partida
Direction: Regina Bertola

Nossa Cidade (Our city) - 1992
Adaptation: Regina Bertola
Direction: Sérgio Britto

Grande Sertão Veredas- 1994
Text: João Guimarães Rosa
Adaptation and direction: Regina Bertola

Ciganos (The Gypsies) - 1995
Text: Bartolomeu Campos de Queirós
Direction: Regina Bertola

Viva o Povo Brasileiro (Hurrah the Brazilian people) - 1996
Text: Bartolomeu Campos de Queirós and Ponto de Partida

Loucas histórias (Crazy stories) - 1997
Text: Manoel Gil
Direction: Maria Azambuja

Casos&canções (Tales & songs) - 1997
Program: Ponto de Partida
Direction: Regina Bertola

A Roca- histórias de mulheres (The Distaff- women's stories 0- 1998
Text: Adélia Prado
Direction and adaptation: Regina Bertola

Roda que Rola (The Wheel that Rolls) - 1998
Direction: Regina Bertola
Program: Ponto de Partida

O Fuso- histórias de homens (The Spool - men's stories) - 1999
Text: João Guimarães Rosa
Direction: Regina Bertola

O Tear – histórias de amor (The Loom - love stories) - 2000
Text: Manoel of Barros
Music: Chico Buarque
Dramaturgy and direction: Regina Bertola
Actor’s preparation: Sérgio Britto

Ser Minas Tão Gerais - 2002
Conception: Ponto de Partida
Music: Milton Nascimento
Text: Carlos Drummond de Andrade
Direction: Regina Bertola
O Menino e o Poeta (The Boy and the Poet )- 2005
Conception and direction: Regina Bertola

Pra Nhá Terra (To Mother Earth) – 2007
Conception: Ponto de Partida
Music: Pablo Bertola, Lido Loschi, Júlia Medeiros e Leandro Aguiar
Text: Manoel de Barros and Ponto de Partida
Direction: Regina Bertola