February 23, 2018

BRAZIL FESTIVAL 2018 - SAMBA PERFORMANCE!

When someone says ‘South America’ we instantly think of the Rio carnival.

We instantly think of an energetic environment with colours, sparkles, feathers, giant figurines, upbeat music, and mouth-watering food.

What if you could experience all of the above without actually going to Brazil?

Seems impossible? It’s not!

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The Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Brazilian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with Yas Mall, hosted a festival from the 22nd to the 25th of February.  The purpose of the festival was to create awareness about the Brazilian culture among the Emirati population. It was also intended to create an atmosphere of friendship and good relations between the two countries.

The carnivals of Brazil are the country’s most famous holidays.  Held to mark the beginning of the forty day period before Easter, the Brazilian carnivals are events of great significance, as they are considered a unifying force for the country.  They owe their roots to the Portuguese colonists, whose culture was absorbed by the natives.  Brazil has a multitude of Samba styles and the famous ‘Unidos De Vila Maria Samba School’ of Brazil, which is renowned for their energetic samba performances, performed in Abu Dhabi this year. The group regularly travels to different places around the globe promoting the vibrant Brazilian culture. This performance was a first in an Arab country.

It was 9:30PM on the 23rd of February, a Friday. The Town Square of Yas Mall wasn’t as crowded as you’d expect it to be on a weekend. The arena wore a festive look, as it was exquisitely decorated for the Brazilian Festival; more specifically for the samba performance. I had planned to witness the last performance of the day which was expected to start at 9:40PM. Ten minutes had passed, oh so slowly, but there was no sight of the performers. It didn’t look like they were going to perform.

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Suddenly, from a distance, drum rolls were heard. Every visitor in the mall had simultaneously turned their heads towards the direction of the sound.  But no one could be seen. It was dead silent for a minute. Then again the drums rolled! Finally, the source of the upbeat music could be sighted. It was group of around ten people. There were six men in fancy black shirts and off-white trousers with musical instruments, three women of which two of them dressed in blue and green sparkly-feathery dresses and one in an off-white dress; the traditional Brazilian carnival attire. The group came dancing towards the performing centre and commenced their magical performance!

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With an amazingly rhythmic dance, those present had no choice but to dance along. At one point, a member from the audience was also called centre-stage to demonstrate his dance skills!

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During the entirety of the performance, which was around 15 minutes, there was an electrical aura evident in Yas Mall. People of all ages were mesmerized by the beautiful performance. Children were smiling and dancing, the adults were recording the entire performance on their electronic devices, and even a member of the security staff was seen attempting to do the samba!

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The whole arena was in smiles as they witnessed a slice of the Rio carnival in the comfort of their own home; Abu Dhabi.

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Near the finish of the enchanting performance, the dancers invited the children to dance with them, ending the merriment with a graceful bow.

The Brazil festival, witnessed by hundreds over a span of four days, proved to be a highly successful initiative. It had people talking about it for days.

We hope events of this nature continue to grace the city of Abu Dhabi in the future. Along with being a learning experience, the festival was highly entertaining and a great way to share the cultural traditions of both countries. 

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Take a look at the samba performance below!