Brasilipinas Carnaval 2015: In Retrospect
Drums that match the beat of your heart and your feet, dancing that makes you stay up and shake it all night long, laughter erupting from the four corners of the room and applause from an audience in awe. This is what Brasilipinas Carnaval 2015 looked like last February 27 at the Rockwell Tent.
It felt like being in Brazil for one night. The night started with a mix by DJ Romeo Cavalcante who co-hosted the event with Luanne Pasinatto. Free drinks were provided by Havaianas, but guests also had the option to choose their own poison courtesy of bar booths from Palladium. Quitutes Brazil served local treats, such as carne queijo, empadinha de frango, coxinha and beijinho de coco.
Everybody was pumped up and ready to go when Escola de Samba de Manila took center stage and started the samba dancing. Together with the Maracuja Drummers, they set the stage to one fun dance party — a festival indeed. It’s not a surprise that everyone started dancing with them not soon after.
The Escola Brasileira de Capoeira also showed their moves and that was quite a show. Imagine buff men and women almost flying in the air in the most graceful manner! What we noticed, though, is that they had big smiles on their faces and although they sparred with each other, they ended their mock-fight with expressions of full appreciation on their faces.
Aside from all the dancing, there was also some singing! Some Brazilian boys also sang pop songs from their country. The talented Brigada also performed songs, some their take of local pop favorites. Soulful musikera Nykó Macá also lent her cool, alluring voice that night. A moment worth mentioning was when she briefly danced with her husband Cédric Parra and their cute two-month old baby! Based on what we witnessed that night, we are certain that we’ll be seeing more of this family in this scene in years to come.
Recognition and appreciation abound that night, too. Aside from Nykó Macá, Eileen Sison (Escola de Samba de Manila) and Toni Bernando (SAMBA School Imperatriz Filipinense) were given golden Havaianas chinela trophies for their efforts in introducing the Brazilian culture to the Philippines. Rosario Rocha was also recognized as Rainha de Carnaval (“carnival queen”) for her superb skills and passionate love for samba.
The SAMBA School Imperatriz Filipinense (yes, the same group responsible for Sunset Samba) brought the entire gang to the party. With their talented dancers and amazing bateria, they showed their pride and love for both Brazilian and Filipino culture in every drum beat, song and chant.
Foreign and local guests alike definitely enjoyed the festive event. With high spirits, we are certain that everybody went home with smiles on their faces and high anticipation for next year’s carnaval.
