Danças Negras

""Black Dances", a Brazilian documentary directed by the duo Firmino Pitanga and João Nascimento, appears to have a clear purpose, starting with the title: to talk about the evolution, arrival and importance of black dance. Something seemingly specific, which could yield a powerful artistic documentary rescuing this art little remembered by the population. However, throughout 72 minutes, what we see is a compilation of topics that arise from dance as a starting point. Some make sense within the proposal of the feature film, such as structural racism, prejudice against African-rooted dances and, mainly, what is, where it came from and where this culture is going. However, other questions simply wander through themes that do not contribute to the debate, such as academicism and even the situation of the Federal University of Bahia. It does not contribute to the theme advancing. It would be a much more interesting movie if it had a more defined focus and, still, had more accurate interviews and less repetitive testimonies. Still, however, "Black Dances" is one of those films that has something to say, bringing an important historical rescue in a structurally racist society."