Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Performers twirl and dance above the sand on a beach across the bay from Rio de Janeiro in an aerial circus show to draw attention to the widespread problem of violence against women in Brazil.
Six women and two men performed the song titled “Alone we are petals, together we are roses” for the first time in the city of Niteroi on Saturday against the backdrop of Rio’s famous landmarks – the Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf Mountain.
In the beginning, a woman in a pink bodysuit struts around on stilts. The male actors throw her on the ground. But the victim reclaims her body by discovering her physical strength and draws courage from her relationships with other women. Finally she returns to even higher stilts.
“After going through all this, we evolve even more. We become stronger. Not that it’s a good way to learn how to be a woman, but we step into it,” said 31-year-old actor Rosa Chaitanya Hamilton Azevedo, who plays the victim and who is also a victim of gender-based violence.
Juliana Berti Abduch, who has also been a victim of this type of violence, created the Suspended Circus Acrobatics Project in 2020. The group’s first demonstration in 2023 focused on domestic violence. He said the new part is not a continuation of that show, but a way to address and fight many forms of violence.
According to Berti Abduch, participating in the project can be healing for artists who have been victims of gender-based violence, who are left scared and traumatized.
“From the moment they start classes, they start to overcome their limitations. This helps a lot in life in general. I’m sure this project has helped women feel more secure,” said Berti Abduch after the introduction of her article.
About 100 people gathered to watch the performance, some of whom were passing by and marveled at the scene involving aerial hoops, trapeze and silks on a beach filled with people lifting weights and playing volleyball.
“I found it impressive,” said Fabian Curion de Medeiros, who was in the audience. “I think that message – that women need to unite and expose violence – needs to become a reality.”
More than one in three women in Brazil were victims of sexual or gender-based violence over the course of a year, the highest number since records began in 2017, according to a 2025 report from the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety, a think tank. Since then all forms of violence against women have increased.
An example of the ongoing struggle for women’s rights in Brazil is the legal status of abortion. Although this is allowed in three circumstances, including cases of rape, in practice women often face significant barriers to accessing these services.
During the performance, a series of shocking statistics came out from a nearby amplifier, including the fact that a woman was raped every six minutes in Brazil last year, also according to the Forum on Public Safety.
Hamilton Azevedo said, “The show creates a burdensome atmosphere, because we talk about the situation. But we also show that there are ways and strategies to fight against it.”
She said, “The demonstration is a strategy in itself. We wanted to move away from that place of sadness and hope that the future will be better. And build that future through art, sports and women’s empowerment.”
,
Follow AP’s coverage Latin America and this Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america