Hey! Who’s passing secret notes in Portuguese on my blog?

Thanks for clarifying, I think I more or less figured out that’s what he meant! I like your take on it, as well. It seems to be the most practical/realistic approach, and yet one that doesn’t sacrifice the art/original traditions, as it were. I suppose as long as it’s made clear that these shows are exactly that—shows, that are stylized and sensationalized and commercialized—and not advertised or presented as the true, real thing, that would be acceptable. These shows might be considered something like the performance version of books adapted for kids or movies—the adaptions work and are popular, but everyone knows the latter are nearly always inferior and never equal to or the same as the former!

Ahhh okay, I understand now. So you were referring to my listing of the Bale Folclorico da Bahia website in my sources. If it’s any consolation to you, the only words they had on puxada de rede were: “A popular demonstration, still seen on the beaches of Bahia, in which Iemanjá, the Goddess of the sea, is invoked by the fishermen and their wives who, through their dances and songs, ask for an abundant catch”, so nothing more than that of theirs influenced what I wrote!

I know everything you said still stands though, and this is a super interesting topic you’ve brought up. Between you and Mariposa alone on this post, I think I’ll need to start up a “To Read” list, just to keep track of all the recommendations! Thanks for them, the books and the videos…only one thing, are they all only available in Portuguese? If so, it may be a while before I can get the full benefit of them…! I was wondering if you could also tell me what is some good writing on art and modern/invented traditions? That sounds really interesting, too.

And I definitely understand what you meant about needing to experience and learn about everything in-situ. Unfortunately, we’re not all so lucky to live in Brazil… But now I’ll know to keep an eye out for this kind of thing and try and be more aware of whether I’m looking at the real thing or a commercialization, for everything I research in the future. Thanks again!

p.s. For the language thing, you still do a pretty good job.

What Alvaro’s essentially saying is that the Balé Folclorico in Bahia is not a particularly good representation of traditional culture. Rather, it’s an altered and sensationalized performance that is designed primarily to attract paying spectators.

Even the association of maculele, samba de roda, and puxada de rede with capoeira was pioneered by M. Canjiquinha, who did it so that his shows wouldn’t “get monotonous” and lose the audience.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, allowing the demands of the “market” to dictate the changes in an art form is dangerous. On the other, what are we supposed to do – tell capoeiristas and dancers that they MUST stick closely to the traditions and can’t make money with shows? I know quite a few Bahians who eke out a living from doing these types of “sell-out” performances, and they know it’s not “real” capoeira, but they need the income (even though it’s not much…)

What I think is going to happen is that there will be an increasing divide between “show” capoeira/maculele/etc and the more “roots” form of the art. A lot of capoeira groups today play very different games in performances than they do in their own rodas. Mestre Bimba warned his students not to demonstrate outside the academy what they had learned, and Mestre Joao Pequeno spoke of the 3 parts or faces of capoeira: one that is displayed to the public, one that is only displayed to fellow capoeiristas and training partners, and one that is within yourself.

I just don’t always post a reaction

*now off to watch your videos*

Sorry, I always assume things, and my speech sound with no connections…

So, the thing is talk about the Balé Folclorico da Bahia as cultural reference is a big “mancada” (mistake).

Basically, according my opinion, any floclorical ballet (in many countries exist, like Perú, Chile, Argentina, etc) pick a nice traditional culture, and apply some make-up on it, to make it more “digestive” for the people, the crowd, avid for new fast-food-cultural experiences.

I saw the Balé folclorico… not voluntarily, some gringa friend ask me to take her there.

So, I have to say again: what a crap!

I know what that is like for “real” (reallity depends on a personal point of view), I saw samba de roda, and puxada de rede, but do it by the people from the country, the interior of Bahia, old people (really old), velinhas e velinhos… no one of them will show something so gay and insipid like that balé.

(by the way, I have no problems with the gay community, in fact, many of my good friends here are gays, and also the godmother of my son)

Well, that happens also in many countries. like Chile…

The Folklorical ballets are a disease, a plague for the continuity of the traditions.

I’m not an alarmist, just think in 20 years in the future, that concept created by the balés folcloricos will be taken as the vivid image of the real culture of a nation…

In capoeira? Just see maculelê…

Also, many of the capoeira angola “new” traditions…

So, talking about this require of experience, live-experience, like live here and know the old people, talk with them and see the cultural manifestations “in-situ”, and the changes, the daily tiny changes.

Besides that, a good reading about art and modern (invented) tradition will be nice…

I’m an architect, and I did a master degree here in Restauration and Preservation of architecture, and also about art history, and a really interesting part to argue and discuss was the creation of modern traditions in the last 2 centuries…

But that is complex and subjetive materia… What have a traditional or art value and what have not…

So, coming back in capoeira and afro-brazilian traditions, I reccomend you to read books, at the beginning, of Pierre Verger and Emília Biancardi, and also see some documentaries of the IRDEB (TVE -Bahia)… very nice: http://www.irdeb.ba.gov.br/

Many of those are in video… still just in VHS. Check the list, and if you want some of those, let me know and we can solve it.

I recommend you “Canticos de Lavoura”, very interesting.

Sorry about my english.

Is so hard express complex ideas in a language when you are not so skilled on it.

Um abraço

Haha yes, you can say that. When I wrote “ballet” I meant it more in a figurative sense though, rather than that the dance is actually a ballet dance. But could you elaborate more on what you were talking about? You mean the whole fisherman’s identity is something made up for consumers, or…? Thanks!
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Xixarro!! Hey! Where have you been all this time? Heh, you’re always too quick for me when it comes to putting up videos, I was planning that part for today! Thanks for the links though
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Ola, Mariposa! Wow, that does sound like a good story, and an empowering one, too. I’ll definitely have to look it up some time. Thank you for the recommendation!

part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=590PUKEQ3h4
part2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VbJrHuG-pcA

Just in case you hadn’t seen these yet