How Theatre Bristol supported Ailyn Ramos

I first met Ailyn Ramos during an Artist Support session where we talked out safeguarding your work as a theatre-maker from Cultural Appropriation. We talked about the questions you can ask yourself around the work, where the power lies in the piece and what the intent is – it was a rich and layered discussion.

Ailyn is from Brazil and admits to her very privileged life there. Having grown up going to the best schools and not mixing with other cultures or races  she was determined to reach out of her box and discover what else the world had to offer. She travelled to India as a 16 year old and learned Capoeira there from some young Indian people, which made her sad that she’d have to travel half way across the world to experience her own culture due to the heavy divides in society. She learned Hindi and fully immersed herself in Indian life with all of its colours, flavours, smells and the vast cultural differences. When she tells this story, it’s mostly told through physical storytelling and is in Hindi, which is really compelling for me as a Hindi speaker!

Ailyn is a storyteller, physical performer and theatre graduate from CAL Institute of Performing Arts, in Rio de Janeiro. She is also a Capoeirista and  member of Capoeira de Rua Project, which teaches Capoeira to people without housing in Rio de Janeiro with the guidance of Meistre Ferradura. As a member of Maschere Ateliê, she researches masks and comedy and has experience preparing actors physically for plays using Capoeira as a tool to improve expression.