Acknowledgments ix Foreword by Lela Aisha Jones 1 Preface 5 Introduction 9 I. African-Brazilian Culture in the 1970s and the History of Silvestre Technique 21 II. Creating Possibilities: An Approach to Silvestre Technique 35 III. Practicing the Technique 43 IV. Conceptualizations of Silvestre Technique 65 V. Definition of Silvestre Terms and Positions 87 VI. Introductory Sequences for Silvestre Dance Technique Class 107 VII. Methodology and Pedagogy 232 VIII. Self-Actualization 248 Afterword 257 Appendix 259 Bibliography 269 Index 273