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Arts & Communication Performance arts, public space, and early childhood

vital power of green spaces in the city. In doing so, we also with the Poeira Project, exploring the creation of esthetic
focus on public policies designed to assist early childhood environments that foster a performative relationship with
in Brazil and how they can play a role in nurturing and young children. Minik Momdó’s work already included a
improving the lives of young children in big cities like São hybridization between the performing arts, music, and
Paulo. visual arts, emphasizing space as an architectural and

As for our research materials and methods, we focused plastic possibility to configure and re-signify its elements in
on several aspects: first, we analyzed the artistic actions a performative experience with the spectator. Dance itself
carried out in 2022, known as EmQuanta, by Núcleo played a pivotal role as one of the constituent elements
Quanta, within the parks and squares in the city of São within this installation, inviting the audience to enter the
Paulo. Second, we examined the group’s online presence, show and become an active part of the scenic space, relating
including its website, social networks, and reports. Third, to the work from within, and recreating the senses given by
we conducted a review of normative documents related to the space and their perception as they walked through it.
early childhood in Brazil. We, then, proceeded to integrate Building on its experience with dance installations
our analysis into a dialogue with the reference literature in at Minik Momdó, Núcleo Quanta began to investigate
the areas of esthetics, early childhood, art education, art children’s interactions with scenic elements, dancers, and
and performativity, artistic action, and cultural action. the installed space while adding the unique dimension
of childhood to the performance: children’s play and
Our discussion began by presenting Núcleo Quanta,
a group of São Paulo artists dedicated to producing and performativity. This resulted in experiences that we call
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researching artistic experiences in early childhood and “installation-play” . With the development of Núcleo
intergenerational relations. Following this introduction, Quanta’s work, the process of hybridizing artistic languages
we delved into a reflection on the esthetic experiences continued, both in the composition of its works and in its
and being-in-the-world experiences of young children. artistic and pedagogical actions, inscribing itself within an
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We also explored how the public policies recently expanded field of the performing arts .
introduced in the city of São Paulo can contribute to the Núcleo Quanta originated in dance theater, evolved
development of young children. In the final section, we through dance installation, and aligns itself with the new
conducted an analysis of the artistic action EmQuanta, creative contexts in the performing arts of the 21 century.
st
carried out by the project Sai de Casa, Quanta! We Its performances distance themselves from the spectacular,
conclude our analysis by reflecting on how such artistic giving rise to an expanded idea of dance. Rather than
action can enhance the quality of early childhood being centered on choreographic language, they focus on
experiences, foster intergenerational relationships, the use of the body (of spectators and dancers) in relation
influence the use of urban spaces, and promote new to space and the play that takes place at the moment of
ways of cohabiting. These considerations are particularly the performance. This dynamic creates a temporary
pertinent as humanity faces the challenge of reviewing community between performers and spectators. As Sílvia
its existential paradigms. Fernandes points out:

2. Núcleo quanta and the performing arts as “What can be observed is a kind of dynamic
an expanded field territory, without fixed margins, in which
various strands of contemporary art friction
Núcleo Quanta brings together artists and researchers with each other, making it difficult to detect
from different languages who focus on investigating the lineage to which they belong. In these
artistic and pedagogical processes for early childhood scenes, the fluid boundaries between process
in relation to their families, teachers, and caretakers. and product, rehearsal and spectacle, life and
Núcleo Quanta, with a repertoire of three shows (Quanta, representation, contextual theater and theater
EmQuanta, and QuantaJam) and having received awards of the real, performance, and situation are
and grants (Dance Funding Law/São Paulo, ProAC difficult to demarcate. Moreover, it is precisely
performance Art Research, Rumos Itaú Cultural Prize, this fluidity that indicates, as in previous cases,
and Art Projects in Multiple Languages Funding), has the expansion of theatrical experiences outside
been active since 2011. It focuses on an audience that is defined paradigms and pushes the game toward
underprivileged in the field of performing and visual arts: situations of sharing processes and immediate
Young children. interaction with the spectator” .
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Born as a research group within the Minik Momdó The very notion of choreographic installation, which
Dance Theater group, Núcleo Quanta began its journey became widespread in the 2000s, combines the work of

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1668