Tuesday 6 February 2007

A Banda de Ipanema

Last Saturday, after a relaxing afternoon at the beach, eating biscoitos Globo and drinking agua de Coco, Dr. O and I set off to meet the parade of the Banda de Ipanema considered here as an immaterial treasure of the city. The Band was founded in 1965 and it became very popular during the Dictatorship years. Nowadays is famous for the drag queens that lend some glamour and fun to this parade.
After reassembling at a well known square at the far end of Ipanema, they stop the traffic by the beaches of Ipanema and Leblon, with the colourful Drag Queens leading the way, followed by the band itself (lots of brass: tubas, trumpets, very different from the traditional Carnival bloco, which is mostly percussions) and around 5000 people trying to dance to the music, but certainly enjoying the freedom of expression felt at Carnival.

We didn't know the music nor the lyrics, and somehow didn't feel to involved with their demonstration, but it was fun all the same to watch them, as outsiders we were.

Today I'm off to Niteroi, to attend a Maths conference, but by night I shall visit the home of Samba School Viradouro, to sample one of their traditional rehearsals and that invariably degenerates in a party. I shall tell you later how that went.

1 comment:

Zereth said...

Ahh ya había faltado en tu blog, pero me repongo, :D se ve disfrutable la temporada de carnaval, y siento que es muy diferente a nuestro festejo involuntario del sábado, de un espectáculo al año a una fiesta de vecino que bloquea la calle sólo porque no tiene espacio suficiente dentro de su casa, uhhh si que hay diferencias.

Saludos y espero ver mas posts tuyos próximamente, me encantan tus crónicas.