By Doug Gray, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – For the first time in over seventy years Unidos da Tijuca took the title of Carnival Champions narrowly beating Grande Rio in the judge’s verdict on Wednesday afternoon.
The 2010 Carnival was a riot of color, photo by Caroline Fowle.
The school captured the imaginations of the watching millions with their parade of ‘secrets’, involving some glittering costume changes and a bateria dressed up somewhat ironically as mafiosos.
Depictions of America’s infamous ‘Area 51’ UFO research center and the Bermuda Triangle helped deliver the sense of mystery whilst the skiing batmen descending a dry ski slope added the humor, a blend which the judge’s clearly loved.
It was Beija Flor who had the honor of kicking off the 2010 Samba Schools Parade on Sunday evening in a sweltering Sambódromo, delivering a typically eye-catching opening show, but the school from Nilopolis couldn’t do better than third place.
It was an interesting choice of theme celebrating fifty years of history of Brasilia since its construction as the country’s political power-base with enormous golden floats and a model of the city’s iconic cathedral sent down the Sambódromo’s route and paying homage to architect Oscar Niemayer.
Madonna was among the audience this year as a guest of Governor Sergio Cabral, but an attempt to join the action had to be halted as an army of security guards and paparazzi threatened to bring the parade to a standstill.
Also competing on Sunday, Salgueiro, last year’s winners, threw everything into their show, including acrobats, a golden outfit from The Arab Emirates for Queen Viviane Araujo, and typically flamboyant floats. Uniao da Ilha, Imperatriz Leopoldinense and Viradouro completed the line up, the latter’s seven year old bateria queen having caused a storm of controversy in the lead up to this year’s carnival and clearly the attention got too much as she broke down in tears. The school finished in last place and will be relegated into the second division next year.
The crowds at this year's Carnival were treated to some of the most ambitious designs in its history, photo by Caroline Fowle.
With the bar set so high on the opening night, it was down to Mangueira and Portela to try and recreate the magic during Monday’s parade. Mangueira produced a green and pink whirlwind with their homage to Brazilian music, with the bateria even building to a funk crescendo as the last truck entered the avenue, the first time the school has ever used the rhythm in one of their shows.
Portela were able to count on Flamengo footballing hero Petkovic among their number, with last year’s Brazilian title-winning player appearing in their parade for the third year and ensuring a huge cheer from the crowds. Though some problems with the hi-tech outfits cost the school dearly in the race for the title, their use of technology and the interactive SMS displays – including one marriage proposal – pointed towards the future possibilities of the parade.
The city huddled around their TV sets on Wednesday afternoon for the traditionally long-winded scores to be announced, and the scenes of celebration for the organizers of Unidos da Tijuca will doubtless be matched again on Saturday night when the winner’s parade takes place.
Opinion, by Pedro Widmar
RIO DE JANEIRO – My girlfriend often describes me as a conspiracy lover by nature, and a cynic by nurture. And maybe for that reason I’ve been hesitant to acknowledge the efforts of our local government in the past months to improve areas of the city which seem frozen in time – a couple of decades back.
Pedro Widmar, author and contributing reporter.
The change is no doubt greatly attributed to Rio’s upcoming hosting schedule: Olympics, World Cup, etc. Friday morning as I stepped onto the 457 in Ipanema going towards Abolição my head was swimming with ideas for my next blog, and for the first time my page would list accomplishments in local policy as opposed to scandal and criticism.
Not that there is a shortage of either, but as a literary journalist I’ve found that I prefer to tell a happy story, when one is available.
I am a resident of Ipanema, and as such I would be the first to admit that I don’t get to the other parts of the city with great frequency. But as I had an appointment in Todos os Santos to have a wet suit made for a spearfishing competition I will be participating in this weekend, I was forced to enter Zona Norte.
So off I went, pen and pad in hand outlining some ideas for my post. Invigorated by the bustling city the words practically wrote themselves. But as I crossed the tunnel between Laranjeiras and Catumbi, the letters fell from my page as I was suddenly reminded that there is another part of Rio.
My favorite Brazilian writer, Lima Barreto, was a life long resident of Todos os Santos. Perhaps for this reason I was reminded of his words as the bus twisted and turned through some of the most impoverished areas of the city towards my destination. And as I thought back to Barreto’s chronicles I realized little has changed for these neighborhoods since the writer used to walk the city streets nearly a century ago.
I am amazed by the Prefeituras’ innovative efforts in some areas. The public urinals, which are actually a retro adaptation of the same sort of mechanism common in Europe in the Seventies, have shown a capital city with the will to take meaningful steps towards change. It’s still to be seen whether these will be available after Carnival, and though so far this act and others like it seem to be isolated incidents, it’s a significant first step.
And now back in my Sunday chair in Ipanema my journey seems like a distant memory. It’s hard to imagine that only a few kilometers away from us, and perhaps conveniently hidden behind a few mountains, there is a place where five cents means something. A place where it isn’t unusual to see streets without lighting and houses without sewage.
And as I prepared to write my piece this week, I couldn’t help but pause to reflect that this city, if I can refer to us as one unit, still has a long way to go.
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Pedro Widmar is a published author and journalist. He is a lover of Rio de Janeiro and wants to see it rightly called a “Marvelous City” once again.
Opinion, by Michael Royster
RIO DE JANEIRO – In 1884, Mr. Drummond, a local merchant, bought the Fazenda dos Macacos (the Monkey Farm). He installed a zoo, which prospered until government subsidies ceased. Rather than close it down and sell off the animals, he listened to a Mexican adventurer and happily adopted an adaptation to the “Juego de las Flores”, subsequently raking in godzillions of simoleons.
Michael Royster, aka The Curmudgeon.
What the Baron did was take 25 animals from his zoo, make picture cards of each, and then adorn the entry tickets with pictures of all of them. Every morning, he put the picture of one animal in a locked vault and every afternoon at 5PM he opened it, stuck it on a tree in the Zoo and if you had the same animal pictured on your ticket, you won moolah galore.
Yes! Money for Nothing! The zoo was no longer in dire straits , because the number of visitors to the zoo multiplied, and (not coincidentally) the Baron only gave back a smallish part of what people paid, using the rest to feed the animals.
In 1895, the spoilsport mayor of Rio decreed that the Zoo should no longer be a den of iniquity. Unfortunately for him, the Baron had already developed a scheme where tickets were sold all over town, and bookmakers were sprouting up like mushrooms.
After the Baron died in 1897, the Jogo do Bicho really took off, notwithstanding federal state and municipal decrees that made it illegal, causing persecution and occasional prosecution to this day.
In the game, there are 25 animals, each of which is assigned its own two digit number, ranging from one to 100 in roughly alphabetical order. So, Avestruz (Ostrich) is animal number one, corresponding to numbers one to four; Vaca (Cow) is animal number 25 and corresponds to numbers 97-00.
Each number drawn has four digits, and there are four chances to win: the animal, the last two digit “dezena”, the last three digit “centena” and the last four digit “milhar”. The prizes are multiples of what you bet .
So, for getting the animal right, you are paid eighteen times the amount of your bet. For the “dezena”, you are paid sixty times, for the “centena” 500 times and for the “milhar” 4,000 times. “Wow!” saith you! “4,000 times!!!”
“Thou fool!” saith the Curmudgeon, who hath done the odds. Do the numbers, assuming there are 100 bets, each on a different two digit number. For the Animal, if they pay you eighteen and the same to the three players who bet the other winning numbers, they pay out 72—but they took in 100, hence the house take is 28 percent.
For the “dezena”, it’s forty percent , for the “centena” it’s fifty percent and for the “milhar” it’s sixty percent. To hit all 4 numbers exactly is a one in 10,000 chance—but they pay you 4,000, meaning they keep 6,000. Now you know why the numbers are NEVER fixed, and why you NEVER can win.
Postscript: “You cannot walk among palm-trees with impunity, and your sentiments must surely alter in a land where elephants [number 12!] and tigers [#22!] are at home.” (Goethe, Elective Affinities, 1809)
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Michael Royster, aka THE CURMUDGEON first saw Rio forty-plus years ago, moved here thirty-plus years ago, still loves it, notwithstanding being a charter member of the most persecuted minority in (North) America today, the WASPs (google it!)(get over it!)
By Stephanie Healey, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – Carnival in Rio is perhaps the most important time of the year, and the city is filled with the sound of samba music. Celebrations are happening around every corner, but the main attraction each year is at the Sambodromo, where the best samba schools compete in arguably the most famous parade in the world.
Marching with the Samba parade winners, Salgueiro in 2009, photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Creative Commons License.The American Society of Rio, which was founded in 1917, has organized a trip to be there not just in the stands, but in the parade with full costume.
On Sunday, February 14th The American Society is first hosting a pre-Carnival dinner party at the Ipanema Tower, and then some will go to dance with the Salgueiro samba school at the Sambodromo.
Vanica Royster, the organizer of the Carnival festivities for The American Society, explains that the pre-party and parading with Salgueiro, “is an opportunity that The American Society offers to its members to show what the Brazilian Carnival is like.”
Members of the American Society of Rio get ready to march with the Salgueiro samba school, photo courtesy of the American Society of Rio.
Salgueiro has been their choice of samba school for the last five years, and after they won last year, it was an easy decision for them again this year.
“The pre-Carnival party has been held the last few years at the Ipanema Tower, which also receives all the costumes so people can put them on there, learn the lines to the Salgueiro song, practice a few steps and then go from there to the Sambódromo, by van”, Vanica explains.
The pre-Carnival dinner party tickets are R$45, and the paraders will set off from there at 1:30AM, and probably get back around 6AM in the morning.
Despite the late hours, the event has been very popular, and spots are snapped up quickly as member Michael Royster notes, “This year, Salgueiro only had 22 spots available. Vanica sent an email round to all the members and the 22 spots were snapped up within an hour!”
President of the American Society of Rio, Lindsay Duval, comments, “Rio’s Carnival is famous throughout the world. How exciting it is to be able to be part of a samba school presentation and dance and strut your stuff in a fabulous costume?”
The American Society of Rio hosts several events throughout the year, celebrating Thanksgiving, Halloween, and even group excursions like last year’s snorkeling trip to Bonito.
For further details on the pre-Carnival dinner, email Vanica Royster at: [email protected] or by phone: 8128-7911.
By Jayme Monsanto, Senior Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – Round seven of the Taça Guanabara (Guanabara Cup) came to an end without any big surprises at the weekend; Rio’s big four Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama all advanced to the state competition’s semifinals.
Dieguinho, takes the game to Olaria, photo by Agencia Photocamera.
On Sunday, Flamengo consolidated itself at the top of Group A after beating Boavista 2-1 at the Raulino de Oliveira Stadium, in Volta Redonda.
The national champions rested some key players such as Adriano and Vagner Love as a precaution after both sustained mild injuries during the week and with the semifinals berth already in Flamengo’s hands, coach Andrade was afforded room to experiment with his squad players. Even with the weakened line up Flamengo won, with midfielder Kleberson and striker Bruno Mezenga grabbing the goals.
Fluminense also had secured enough points to guarantee a spot in the semifinals before round seven, and followed suit with another less than full strength side, with the young players keen to make an impression as coach Cuca plans his strategy for the rest of the year. Their result, however, wasn’t quite as promising as Flamengo’s, and the match ended 0-0 against local Olaria.
In Group B, Vasco had recorded six victories in six matches and their leadership in Group B was already beyond doubt. Captain Carlos Alberto and Marcos Careca were injured, but Vasco didn’t spare any more of their regular players in a bid to maintain their formidable winning streak. The 2-2 result was, therefore, something of a disappointment against Madureira at the São Januário Stadium, though goals by Nilton and Thiago Martinelli at least gave the crowd something to cheer about.
Vagner Love suffered a mild injury during the week and took the weekend off to restore himself for the semifinals, photo by Márcia Feitosa/VIPCOMM.
Of the four big teams in Rio Botafogo was the only one under any threat of not advancing to the semis. Needing a win in order to finish the round in second place of Group B, they did so in fine style. Resende were despatched 5-2, with three headed goals by new striker “El Loco” Abreu.
In the semifinals, the first place from Group A plays against the second in Group B, while the second in Group A faces the first in Group B, meaning that Flamengo meets Botafogo while Fluminense plays Vasco.
The latter match-up will take place first on Saturday, February 13th at the Maracanã Stadium, at 5PM. Flamengo plays Botafogo on Ash Wednesday, February 17th, also at the Maracanã Stadium with the match scheduled to begin at 9:50PM.
The winners advance to the Taça Guanabara finals, which are scheduled to take place on February 21st, at the Maracanã Stadium.
Campeonato Carioca standings after round seven
By Doug Gray, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – As a somewhat incongruous addition to the pre-Carnival festivities in the city, the timing of last year’s inaugural Rio Music Conference at first seemed questionable. Now for the second year the event is overlapping, from Wednesday, February 10th through Tuesday, February 16th, 2010.
Rio Music Conference 2010 web site, image by www.riomusicconference.com.br.
Bringing some of the world’s biggest DJs into town just as the traditional sounds of samba take hold of Rio’s streets may have irked some traditionalists, but the results were undeniable. Rio can now lay claim to the biggest electronic music event in the southern hemisphere, and the second edition kicks off six days of partying to the Marina da Glória.
Far from just an excuse to get your fill of electronic music, however, the conference element that last year saw talks by the likes of UK DJ and broadcaster Pete Tong creates a business fair for companies involved in all aspects of the music market. This year Armin Van Burren, recently voted the world’s number one DJ, will discuss the current state of dance music while workshops show off the latest technology, and classes are held on everything from mixing to producing.
Van Burren will of course also take to the decks along with other masters of the ones and twos including Erick Morillo who is back after a star turn last year, Steve Angello, Locodice, and Tocadisco will also be playing as well as a host of local talent supporting the big names.
The event hopes to emulate the success of the annual Miami Winter Music Conference which has become a fixture in the calendar for anyone with a passing interest in dance music for the last twenty years, and this year’s growth suggests Rio is on the right tracks. As Guilherme Borges, event organizer and director of OSC Marketing, says; “For the 2010 event we could count a lot more on the music sector, consolidating Rio Music Conference in Brazil… and to prove that we have a 400 percent increase in the size of the exhibition area.”
American DJ Erick Morillo performs on Saturday night, photo by RMC.
For funk pioneer DJ Marlboro it is also a rare opportunity to meet his peers outside of their usual environment; “Normally a DJ stays very much in his own club but with this event we have the opportunity to exchange (ideas) with others.”
On February 10th and 11th, there will be a series of talks and workshops from 3PM until 2AM, and Van Burren will feature in a Q&A session at 10PM on the opening evening.
Entry is free, and other subjects will include copyright and author rights, independent music around the world, and the intriguingly titled ‘How To Be A Rock Star’, while on Thursday anyone with an interest in turntablism should check out the scratch DJ workshop hosted by Vestax at 5:30PM on Thursday.
As for the DJ line up, Saturday night will see Erick Morillo perform, while Armin Van Burren takes to the stage on Tuesday.
