Special Guest: Glauco Araujo - Nurture your love

Summary:

In today’s episodes of The Tragedy Academy, Jay is joined by Brazilian actor and dancer Glauco Araujo. Glauco walks us through his life growing up in remote farmland in Brazil and how he turned his internal struggles into beautiful art for all to consume.

Key Points:

Glauco tells his backstory growing up in a remote farm area in Brazil
Transitioning from a field outside of Rio to an accomplished dancer and actor
Glauco’s first contact with ballet
Favorite ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev and relating to his struggle
Moving to New York wanting to something more
Seeking therapy
Charity: Disciple Actors Guild

Episode Highlights:

[02:23] Glauco tells us his experience growing up on a farm outside of Rio De Janeiro and his aspirations of wanting something more

[05:05] Glauco shares where his passion for dance was born. Starting with performing at Carnival, to working in the Paralympics, and also working for Modern Dance in Chicago.

[07:20] Glauco expresses his awe every time he visited Rio as a kid, comparing it to being in Times Square for the first time.

[09:47] Glauco gives us a rundown of his initial contact with a ballet which was getting his first job in a dance company in Rio where he was lucky enough to have a director who believed in him. Although he does admit that he hated ballet at first.

[12:49] Glauco begins to immerse himself into the ballet by studying its history which is where he discovered his favorite dancer, Rudolf Nureyev.

[17:37] Glauco reveals how he relates to Rudolph’s struggle; the diversity he had to overcome by being gay, the humble beginnings, his grit in following his dreams.

[19:36] Glauco shares the difficulties growing up in Brazilian culture that is traditionally machismo and suppressive, and evangelical.

[21:51] Gluaco expresses his relief and gratitude for finally living in a place that allows him to be free and is encouraged to live out his dreams.

[26:00] Glauco moves to New York where he feels a burning desire to do more than dance, something that allows the human connection.

[29:14] When moving to New York, a director sees Glauco perform and offers him a role in a short film about dancing.

[31:02] Glauco reveals that most opportunities that have come into his life have been through connecting with people.

[34:37] Staying out of trouble is Glauco's #1 advice to his younger self, but through this, he recognizes that his aggressions as a kid acted as a way to protect himself.

[38:46] Glauco and Jay discuss how people don’t change without new experiences which also means you cannot judge people without people having a chance to be confronted in what they believe in.

[40:30] Glauco confesses how therapy was his savior in overcoming and accepting past trauma. He feels that the only way to help others in seeking mental help is by setting the example.

[42:58] Charity: Disciple Actors Guild; helps performers pay their rent and bills

[46:01] Glauco shares heartwarming messages he has received on social media

[48:34] Jay and Glauco discuss the very prominent body dysmorphia in dance and how we judge ourselves to the worst degrees.

[51:00] Plugs: 2 short films that will be out in June. Actorsguild.org

[54:00] Outro

Connect with Glauco:

Tweetable Quotes:

“I think the motivation should be to get out of the small town and be in a big city...I had a dream to be an artist”
“I was lucky enough to have a director who believed in me… a raw talent”
“I got the job first and started taking ballet classes, and I HATED ballet in the beginning”
“Where I came from you don’t have a choice”
“I don’t have to be afraid when I got outside, I’m free here. I can be myself. it’s like everything is in favor of me”
“If there’s 50% of love… try to nurture that 50%”

Glauco Araujo is a Brazilian-born professional dancer and actor trained both here in the U.S. and in Brazil. In Rio, Glauco danced with the Rio Dance Company (modern dance), as well as with the integrated dance company ANDEF (disability dance). In 2012, Glauco represented Brazil in the closing ceremony of the Paralympic games in London. And from 2015 to 2017 Glauco acted and danced lead roles at Momenta Dance Company with a repertoire including Doris Humphrey, Martha Graham and Charles Weidman, as well as classic choreographers like August Bournonville, Mikhail Fokine, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa; and disability choreographers Alice Sheppard and Ginger Lane. At Momenta, a dance piece entitled Meloudious Marco was created for Glauco in which he was featured in the lead role of Marco.

Glauco was drawn to NYC in early 2017 and was given a scholarship in at Alvin Ailey from 2017 to 2018. In 2018, he was the featured dancer in Aria, a duet choreographed for him by Pedro Ruiz, with live accompaniment by the Camerata NY Orchestra. Glauco danced and acted the following year in Sasha Spielvogel’s new musical Come Back Once More So I Can Say Goodbye — a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. Glauco’s next featured role was in Joshua Bergasse’s musical A Crossing, performed with Barrington Stage Company.

Glauco has teamed several times, beginning in 2018 to the present, with the award-winning German dancer/director Severine Reisp. Their films have been recognized in a number of international film festivals: A Tango to Remember– Best Romance Film, Los Angeles Film Awards; Best Woman Filmmaker, The Atman Film Festival; Cinematic Award Winner, Cyprus International Film Festival; Ruminate– Best Musical and Best Dance Choreography, Oniros Film Awards; Best Musical/Dance Film, Los Angeles Film Awards.

Another film, Lucid, written and directed by Juan Wang has received a Best Film award from The Heibei Television Artists Association. Glauco costarred in this short film with the beautiful and talentedactress and formerAmerican Ballet Theater dancer, Elina GoldeMiettinen. Another film project that Glauco and Elina collaborated on Stop What You’re Doing(Music Video), directed by Severine Reisp. This music video won Best Music Video at the Athens International Digital Film Festival Award.

On TV, Glauco most notably had a featured comic role in a promo commercial

for Betty in New York, and last January Glauco played the devious Pawnbroker on The Investigation Discovery Channel in Homicide City: Charlotte.

Drawn to the New York theater scene, Glauco has worked nonstop onstage for the past three years, working often with Triangle Theater and The Snarks, ACC and EAG. His New York debut was as the romantic lead, Peter Latham, in Pierre Barillet’s Forty Carats. His comic turn was followed by his hilarious performance as the effete Bob Lamb in Tina Howe’s Museum. In a series of scene nights, Glauco’s range has covered the hot-headed role of Ken in John Logan’s Red, the sweet-hearted Cornelius in Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker, the deceptive Morris Townsend in Ruth and Augustus Goetz’s The Heiress, and the diabolic Adolf Eichmann Raul Wallenberg’s Saved Me. In Soledad Bailada y Casi Compartida, presented at the University of Seville, and on tour around Spain.

Glauco has been thrilled to work alongside Broadway and West End actors Anthony Newfield, Alison Fraser and Karen Archer in Richard Alleman’s new play Adrift, playing the Brazilian, and provocative Zumba instructor, Flavio. Glauco has been honored to be part of special performances to benefit the Episcopal Actors’ Guild and the Cape May Stage. Reviewed in the Times Square Chronicles, “Betsy (Alison Fraser) longs for something more, alongside interactions of the less virtuous kind with the handsome and sweet-talking Flavio, played seductively by the appealing Glauco Araujo (Spielvogel’s Come Back Once More).”

Recently, Glauco performed in a short bio-pic entitled Dance for Freedom directed by Severine Reisp, highlighting the challenges people of color face today, and which has garnered recognition as the First-Place Recipient of the Dr. David Milch Foundation/CCNY Award in short film competition. In her review, juror Timberkly Whitfield, program executive and producer for A&E, as well as a host on the History Channel and A&E, wrote: “Glauco Araujo is a beautiful dancer and you capture him in such a way that really moved me. I felt inspired by his story that even in the face of racism he doesn't see himself as a victim. Strong production values. You checked all the boxes on this one — FANTASTIC!”

Link from past Interviews

http://diversityrulesmagazine.com/2021/02/28/march-feature-interview-glauco-araujo/

http://www.ourtownny.com/news/the-universal-language-of-the-arts-YE1547010

https://elespecial.com/glauco-araujo-el-bailarin-que-ha-conquistado-de-brasil-new-york

https://www.noticiali.com/glauco-araujo-sobreviviendo-a-traves-de-la-creatividad/

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