Ballet of Paraisopolis Reopens its School After Four-Month Hiatus

Ballet of Paraisopolis, a school in one of the biggest favelas in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is returning from a four-month hiatus due to the health crisis, Global Times reports.

The students at the school are currently rehearsing a new ballet called Nine Deaths, a tribute to the victims who died in a stampede when police raided a street party in the favela in December 2019.

The performance was originally set for earlier this year but was postponed due to the health crisis.

22 students have returned for classes, 10 in the school itself, and 12 on the second floor of a cultural center. All students wear face masks and practice for four hours a day, five days a week. The rest of the school's students are continuing their classes online, for now.

"It was the worst feeling I've had in my life," founder, Monica Tarrago said of the shutdown. "We never stop except for Christmas and New Year's. We're like a family."

The school's six teachers designed a program via Zoom to help students keep up their physical and mental shape, featuring classes on nutrition, stretching, exercises and choreography, plus lessons with 10 dancers from around the world.

Read more on Global Times.

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