NITEROI, Brazil (AP) — Performers twirled over the sand on the beach across the bay from Rio de Janeiro in an aerial circus show that aimed to raise awareness of the widespread problem of violence against women in Brazil.
Six women and two men performed the song “Alone We Are Petals, Together We Are Roses” for the first time on Saturday in the city of Niteroi near the famous Rio landmark – Christ the Redeemer Statue And Sugarloaf Mountain – in the background.
At the beginning, a woman in a pink bodysuit struts around on stilts. Male artists sweep her off her feet. But the victim reclaims his body, exploring its physical strength and finding courage through relationships with other women. At the end she returns on even taller stilts.
“After we go through all this, we grow even more. We become stronger. It's not that it's a good way to learn how to be a woman, but we end up getting into it,” said Rosa Chaitanya Hamilton Azevedo, a 31-year-old artist who plays the victim and is also a survivor of gender-based violence.
Juliana Berti Abduh, who was also a victim of this form of violence, created the Suspended Circus Acrobatics project in 2020. The group's first performance in 2023 was dedicated to domestic violence. She said the new play is not a continuation of that show, but a way to continue to fight violence in its many forms.
According to Bertie Abduh, participation in the project can bring healing to artists who have experienced gender-based violence and arrived scared and traumatized.
“From the moment they start the class, they begin to overcome their limitations. It helps a lot in life in general. I am sure that the project has helped women feel more secure,” said Bertie Abduh after the debut of her work.
About 100 people had gathered to watch the show, some of whom were passing by and stopped, intrigued by the amazing spectacle of aerial hoops, trapeze and silks on a beach filled with people lifting weights and playing volleyball.
“I think it’s impressive,” said Fabiana Curione de Medeiros, who was in the audience. “I think the idea that women need to come together and expose violence needs to become a reality.”
More than one in three women in Brazil was a victim of sexual or gender-based violence within a year, according to a 2025 report by the think tank Brazilian Forum for Public Security. This is the highest figure since registration began in 2017. Since then, all forms of violence against women have increased.
An example of the ongoing struggle for women's rights in Brazil is the legal status of abortion. Although this is permitted in three cases, including cases of rape, in practice women often face significant barriers in accessing these services.
During the performance, a series of alarming statistics are heard from a nearby amplifier, including the fact that a woman was raped every six minutes in Brazil last year, also according to a public safety forum.
“The show creates a difficult atmosphere because we talk about the situation. But we also show that there are ways and strategies to deal with it,” Hamilton Azevedo said.
“The performance itself is a strategy. We wanted to move away from this place of sadness and maintain hope that the future will be better. And build that future through art, sports and women's empowerment,” she said.
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