Janet CollinsLatin Dancing
February 20th 2009 00:57
Ever wondered how those Brazilian women move their hips so well when they dance? Most of them start learning to Samba not too long after they learn to walk – and they don't stop.
In Rio de Janeiro these past weeks, there’s been plenty of dance practice for the city’s drum queens who will dance away in the annual three-day Carnival, Brazil's annual festival of Bacchanalia, that starts on Saturday.
It’s quite an honour to be chosen as a drum queen for the parade where they dance non-stop in front of hundreds of drummers in a headdress, high heels and nothing more than a microscopic costume. It's all so flamboyant.
Chosen for their beauty, drum queens these days are often actresses and models but they also need great Samba skills and charisma, and the workout schedule in the lead up to the parade is exhausting. The gym workouts, endless media demands and late night rehearsals are all part of the training of the drum queen as is the careful diet of no fat, no sugar and no salt.
The effort is all worth it for both the drum queens and the samba schools that choose them. During the weeks leading up to the Carnival, the chosen few become nothing short of superstars. The samba schools pamper their own drum queens and reporters follow them everywhere they go whether it is the gym, to rehearsals or to a restaurant and competition for headlines is tough.
Winning the media headlines so far is a former Miss Brazil, Raissa de Oliveira, who dances to “funk” music that rocks Rio’s slums but interest is also on the youngest drum queen who is 18 and a local and is already a veteran, having been crowned by reigning champions Beja-Flor at the age of 12. Oliveira says she started out by dancing around the house and has had lessons since she was and child and never stopped.
For the not so young beauties there is still hope because this year the young ones don’t have the whole show to themselves . In what is seen a breakthrough for carnival drum queens, two schools this year chose women over 40.
Latin dancing has been growing and growing in popularity in Australia for many years now and Sydney has its own enclave of Latin lovers. Some are ex-pat Brazilians, others have just falllen in love with the whole Latin lifestyle.
In Sydney you can celebrate Carnaval too. Parties are in The Charlie Bar in Manly on Thursday, 26th February and in The Metro Theatre, George Street in the City on Saturday 28th February. Don't forget to put on your dancing shoes.
Go here for details:
Really Long Link
source: reuteurs
photo credit: reuteurs
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/seriously/ dont you just love a national party like this one, (and others I have lived through from around the globe), certainly make dreary Australia Day Lamingtons and Two up Anzacs look ridiculous. (Im not talking Gay Mardi Gras because its discriminatory in so many ways)...
Lilla ...
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Yeah, I've heard it all before.
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But you can do your swinging and flexing and thrusting....no one will mind
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READ THIS
SISTERS IN CRIME
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READ THIS
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I didn't really get around to researching interstate venues but I am sure every capital city at least will be pushing the latin dancing this week.
Thanks for that.