Viver Brasil has a potent beat of drums and quick feet

As the pinch of winter approaches, the colour white starts to haunt our dreams. But on Saturday and Sunday, a parade of snowy robed dancers dramatically raised the temperature at the Arden Theatre.

Members of the award-winning dance troupe Viver Brasil crooned and chanted as they entered the Arden hall from audience aisles and gracefully shimmied their way onto the stage.

But in the blink of an eye, the slow-paced seemingly effortless parade quickly shifted into a succession of energetic, punchy moves as five percussionist/drummers hammered away at an explosive mix of Afro-Brazilian drums.

Based in Los Angeles, Viver Brasil is the brainchild of husband and wife team Luiz BadarĂł and Linda Yudin. Blending music, song and dance, this young company is rooted in the cultural traditions of the Salvador, Bahia region of Brazil.

The Arden hall may not have been a tropical paradise, but it was easy to fall under the spell of Feet on the Ground, a series of intoxicating dances choreographed by Rosangela Silvestre.

While western European dance focuses on displaying a dancer’s physical prowess through a strict narrative, Viver Brasil’s stylized folk dance has strong tribal elements where communal improvisation is a trademark.

The opening piece Avanhia, with its celebratory nod to the sacred energies of the earth, had a mystical, almost reverential tone led by the bewitching chants of Vania Amaral and Katia Moraes.

The swirl of music combining drums and flute fluctuated from serenity to cacophony, and the seven barefoot dancers jumped in the air, plunged to the ground, whipped 360-degree kicks and spun feverishly in a circle.

In Orixás, dancers in flowing dresses of vibrant green, yellow and fuchsia, paid their respects to African deities, Lemanjá, the blue sea mother and Oia-lansã, the white wind.

Perhaps the most delightful choreography was the three-man In Motion, a dance that reflects Brazil’s diverse palette of movement including capoeira, Brazil’s martial arts and Samba de Roda.

From the get-go the capoeira was a tongue-in-cheek dance with Gustavo Caldas strutting Latin machismo and bravado as two female dancers co-opted to defuse his cocky spirit.

Following the lead of a lazy sax, the dance was performed in slow-slow motion as the trio shifted from power kicks, leg sweeps and elbow strikes to ground and aerial acrobatics and take downs. It was a fun performance that showed off incredible athleticism and control.

The magic of this show is hearing stories of the ancient deities interpreted through music and dance. For two hours the singers were haunting, the dancers displayed a never-ending storehouse of muscular beauty, the musicians kept the pace alive and the score sizzled.

In the end every step was a vivid blend of visceral excitement that each performer embraced and gave back to the audience.