<em>ORIXÁS</em> Dances and Physical Education: Delineating perspectives starting from the rituals of <em>CANDOMBLÉ</em>

The aim of this study is to configure dance scenes in candomblé yards seeking out ways to convert ritual practices into educational models. Using bibliographical and field research, and case experience report, it was possible to understand the dance and its mythical sense, as well as the sacred gesture of being in motion. Based on the observations made at candomblé yards at the city of Campinas, the theoretical references, as well as the experience obtained by the students of the undergraduate course in Physical Education at Unicamp, it was possible to delineate work perspectives of orixás dances in the educational field. We verified that the gestural, mythological and cultural riches of these dances may be used in Physical Education classes by starting with generating themes and using camdomblé yards as an important research laboratory. Working with orixás dances would represent a form of materializing new visualizations of cultural manifestations still considered as inferior, and contribute to a decrease in prejudices seen in the academy and increase the relationship between university and society