By Nathan M. Walters, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In the Portuguese language, X-Tudo (pronounced shees TOO-du) is slang for a cheeseburger with all the toppings – including egg, ham and the rest of what you can imagine, and it seems like the perfect title for the SESI Cultural festival. The event combines music, dance, theater, and street art at the Teatro SESI Centro.
The free festival, which opened last night (Tuesday, July 18th) and runs almost daily through July 27th, is loaded with a variety of visual and aural treats, just like the Brazilian delicacy for which it is named.
SESI (Social Services for Industry) was established in 1946 with the purpose of providing community services in various areas (e.g., health, education, leisure, culture) to improve the quality life of industrial workers in Brazil. This year marks the third edition of X-Tudo, which is a project of the SESI Cultural division.
At Tuesday’s opening, the globetrotting, good-timing, horn and drum-laden Orquesta Voadora played for an excited crowd. Attendees also enjoyed a street theater performance by Grupo Tá Na Rua and were able to browse the collection of street art on display at the theater.
Airá Ocrespo (aka Mc Grafiteiro) curated the collection of street art that will be on display at the theater for the entirety of the festival. The exhibition, titled “A Cor da Paz” (“The Color of Peace”), brings together eight artists, each from a different favela in Rio.
For Ocrespo, the collection is an opportunity for attendees to see another side of what is happening in the favelas post-pacification. “The show is important for the communities represented, each artist sharing his or her vision of the process their community is going through.”
“To take these paintings from artist that are working on the walls in the favelas and put them in an institutional setting is important for stirring discussion about pacification and what it means, is a positive way to reflect on real issues that are facing these communities,” she said.
Zeco, a young graffiti artist from Complexo do Alemão, talked about the importance of displaying his work. “I saw and lived the stories people read about from Complexo. I use graffiti as a tool to tell those stories for the next generation, to create a tribute to all who have died with the hope for a better community,” he said.
While “A Cor da Paz” will remain on display throughout the festival, the other attractions will change on a daily basis, offering visitors a line-up that reflects the diversity and dynamism of the Carioca spirit.
Music and dance performances are scheduled over the ten-day festival. The musical line-up, scheduled to begin on Sunday, June 22nd at 5PM, includes acts such as Festival de Bandas, Alice Caymmi, Le Verda, and Rodrigo Cascardo.
The festival also includes a unique selection of theater performances, with Friday, July 27th exclusively reserved for short productions starting at 7:30 PM. Included among the six performances scheduled is “Horácio Conta Hamlet,” an adaptation of Shakespeare’s bloody classic and the final performance of the festival.
X-Tudo is a great opportunity for those who want to know more about youth culture in Rio and learn the language, as almost all of the performances will be in Portuguese. For more information and complete schedule visit the SESI website (in Portuguese) here.
X-Tudo | Teatro SECI Centro
Av. Graca Aranha, 1 – Centro, RJ
From July 17 to July 27, 2012 – Daily (except July 23rd)
Free entrance