Janet CollinsDancing Queens
February 7th 2010 05:55
Julia Lira
The Brazil Carnival this year is gearing up for a pretty shaky start, even before it has begun. In the lead up to the festival that starts on Friday, accusations of exploitation have dogged the event following the choice of a seven year old girl as the drum core queen for one of Rio’s best samba schools.
The Viradoura samba group is now fighting for the right to have Julia Lira lead them in the internationally renowned flamboyant parade.
The case is not just a public argument. It has gone to the Family Court. The State Council for the Defence of Children and Adolescents claims that the role of the drum core queen is a sexual one and Julia’s participation would “increase the treatment of children as sexual objects in Brazilian society”.
Not so, says Julia’s father, who also happens to be President of the Viradoura samba group that has chosen her as their lead. Marco Lira claims that Julia can hold her own, is a natural at samba and can easily dance her way through the 80 minute parade.
Earlier this week, Marco Lira justified the group’s decision saying “any man who looks at a seven-year-old child and feels any sort of excitement should go see a doctor”.
The drum corps queen is regarded as something of an honour in Brazil and the roles are highly contested ones that are usually decided on beauty and charisma. Often they are models and actresses but they also need to be pretty good at the samba.
Last year I wrote about the role of the drum queen here when the youngest was an eighteen year old. It was also last year that a few groups had chosen women in their 40s for the first time to lead their own clubs. This was seen as a break through for the Carnivale as well as the not so young women.
The drum queens are the stars of Carnivale and usually lead the parades in high heels, flamboyant head dress, some glitter and very little else, although unlike some of the other dancers do not parade topless.
Judge of the family court in Rio, Ivone Ferreira, is currently juggling the arguments. Should the decision go against her participation, it will be a big blow to one of Rio’s largest Samba schools.
According to reports, Ferreira has requested information about Julia’s costume and the time she will be performing, which no doubt will probably have to be rescheduled if she is permitted to go ahead. Julia is currently scheduled to start after midnight on February 14.
The Viradouro group is arguing that Julia’s costume is modest, although details of the costume have not been made public. Just as in previous years, the costumes of the performers are kept religiously under wraps until the event.
Both sides of the case probably have reasonably good claims but it raises questions about what is and what isn’t sexually explicit. We also may find ourselves asking “is Marco Lira just being a “stage dad”, pushing his beloved daughter as much as he can into the limelight?
After all, the sexuality of the flamboyant parade is really one of its biggest attractions and Marco Lira may just be a little “blind” to this when it comes down to a starring role for his daughter.
Sourced: www.thestar.com
Image credit: www.dailymail.co.uk
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Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
She is an amazing little dancer but it is a sexual dance and it reminds of those little beauty pageant girls from the US that look 20yrs older than they actually are.
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
I am not sure if there is an understudy. I do know from my research into last year's post that the training for this is lengthy and rigorous. If she is banned from the parade it will have been all for nothing.
I am not sure that I want to see seven year olds perform in this. Julia really should be an adult before she is part of it - I think, anyway.
Thank you.