Samba percussion workshops

We are proud to announce the two samba percussions workshop leaders for the upcoming festival Days of Brazil – Novi Sad Samba Carnival that will be organized from 17 to 19 of August 2012. in Novi Sad, Serbia. The two workshop leaders will be Ricardo Pereira Cruz, better known under his artist name Serrinha Raíz from Rio de Janeiro/Brazil and Chris Quade Couto from Cologne/Germany. Both leaders are experienced in playing samba percussions in various baterias, conducting baterias and thought samba music throughout the whole world. Their biographies in English are available here. The samba workshops are organized as an intensive course of samba percussions, going through various rhythms and preparing for the final performance at the end of the Carnival parade. On the first day participants will practice playing technique and on the last two days one or two compositions that will be performed (Samba de Enredo).

Novi Sad - Carnival City

By signing the application to the Federation of European Carnival Cities at the end of last year, City of Novi Sad officially became a carnival city. In this regard Novi Sad Carnival group has been established and had the opportunity to present our city in the 29th Rijeka Carnival on February 19 th 2012.

Man and woman gathered in the group "Novi Sad Samba Carnival" presented forthcoming Novi Sad samba carnival that will be organized from August 17th to 19th 2012th in our city.

Group "Novi Sad Samba Carnival" was founded this year- 2012, as a result of common interests of people gathered around the festival that promotes Brazilian culture "Days of Brazil" which will be realized as a part of the Novi Sad Carnival third year in a row.

Ricardo Pereira Cruz

Ricardo Pereira Cruz, better known under his artist name Serrinha Raíz, was born in 1975 in Rio de Janeiro/Brazil. He was born into a family of musicians and sambistas and grew up in the neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro's oldest samba-school Estácio de Sá, playing all kinds of percussion instruments on their rehearsals. Ever since he works as percussionist in a various number of rodas de samba and bands, such as Batuque Digital, Samba da Alforria and Projeto Criolice, works as director of many of Rio's baterias (to name just a few Unidos da Tijuca, Estácio de Sá, Unidos de Padre Miguel, etc.) and as a percussion teacher for one of brazilians biggest and most successful companies Petrobras and in social percussion projects in the north-east of Brazil and Argentina. During his career as musician Serrinha traveled through the whole world presenting, playing and teaching the brazilian musical culture. Together the two close friends Chris and Serrinha created the new global website www.riosamba.com, which is about to go online this year and supposed to connect sambistas and friends of the carnival in Rio de Janeiro from all over the world, exchange themselves and share their experiences and events online. For the 4th time in a row Chris and Serrinha are going on tour through Europe to teach the style of samba, how it‘s played nowadays in Rio de Janeiro. In the past 3 years they went to countries like France, Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Germany and many others and in 2010 were called to give a special Workshop in the famous World-MusicConservatory of Rotterdam/Netherlands.

Chris Quade Couto

Chris Quade Couto was born in 1981 in Cologne/Germany. He started his career as a musician very early and with only 15 years already specialized on Brazilian percussion. He participated in various intensive afro-brazilian and afro-cuban Workshops with teachers like Dudu Tucci and Ravin Jayasuriya, played in a number of bands, such as Pimenta Malagueta, Tim Sein Lada and Cologne Streetbeat, founded and conducted the sambaschool Unidos de Colonia and the brazilian bloco Suco Legal and played in the brazilian samba-funk band Muamba. Nowadays he is one of the musical directors of the Bloco X, singer and percussionist of the forró trio Capangas and plays the tamborim in Unidos da Tijuca (winner of the carnival in Rio de Janeiro 2010 and 2012) among other samba-schools in Rio de Janeiro. On his local website and brand www.koelnsamba.de Chris organises his work as a teacher for brazilian percussion and further on works as producer and chairman for brazilian cultural events in the town twinning association Köln-Rio e.V.

Screening of the film “O Gringo”

At the festival Days of Brazil, the audience in Novi Sad will be able to see a documentary film “The Gringo” which, in symbolic 90 minutes, shows the development of Serbian football player Dejan “Rambo” Petkovic.

“Rambo” Petkovic, a former Red Star Belgrade player, is considered by many experts as one of the greatest players of all time. He won Brazilian championship with Flamengo and became the best player in Brazil. He was declared an honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro and left a footprint on the “Walk of Fame”. The director Darko Bajic was completely fascinated by Rambo’s popularity which drove him to shoot this film. The film transfers experiences of passionate football fans that watch each game with love and respect and create an ideal atmosphere with their positive spirit thus making football the most important secondary thing in the world.

Confirmed performance of the Brazilian band

This year we have an opportunity to present to our audience, for the first time, a band from Brazil who will perform on the first day of the festival at the opening night – August 17th at Cultural Centre Novi Sad. Band’s program called "Samba da minha Terra" (Samba of my country) includes various genres of Brazilian music, from Samba and Choro to Bossanova and Brazilian pop music. The coming of the Naiara Lira and the band is supported by Brazilian Ministry of culture.

About Naiara Lira and the band

Naiara Lira and the band were founded at the end of 2011. The band had its first performance in a show called “Ensaiogeral”. They played with Naiara on her tour in Netherlands with the program “Poukinho De Brasil” (a little bit about Brazil). They performed on numerous events in Schiedam and Rotterdam among which was a Film festival in Rotterdam. Due to the success abroad, the band decided to expand their tour to Brazil.

They play various genres, from Samba, Forro, Choro and Frevo to Bossanova and Brazilian pop. The combination of their music selection is not surprising given that all the musicians in band are professionals, highly adaptable and interested in all Brazilian national styles.

Full of swing and pretty lyrics her and her band choose a repertoire that is composed with the best songs of the 20th century plus some of her own. On Dani Brazila festival they’ve prepared a very dancing show with carnaval “marchinhas” and some famous songs of the north east of the country, known as “forró” – kind of dance to performed with a partner.

Presentation of the book translation of José de Alencar’s "Iracema"

Promotion of the book by Brazilian writer José de Alencar "Irasema" translated by Mladen Ciric will be organized as a part of the promotional activities of the festival Days of Brazil - Novi Sad Samba Carnival, in cooperation with the City library, on Monday, August 6th starting at 7.00 pm in the Reading Room of the City Library.

Presentation of the book will include a lecture on the historical context of Alnecar’s Brazil, discussion about the book and its translation. Speakers at this promotion will be the translator Mladen Ciric and Guilherme Serra, a Brazilian who lives in Belgrade since 2008, holds a degree in philology, and works as a professor of Portuguese and translator at the Publishing house “Glosarijum”.

In Brazil José de Alencar (1829-1877) is one of the most important national literary figure, thanks to the great inspiration he founds in his home town in Brazil, he accurately describes his society. Among his works, the "Irasema" distinguishes as the most important novel of Indian Literature of Brazil. It is a legend that tells a story about the love between Indian and Portuguese, as well as the collision of two different ways of life.

Translation of "Irasema", published by the publishing house "Glosarijum", has been presented at the Belgrade Book Fair in 2011, when Brazil was an honored guest of the Fair.

Lecture: “The racial debate in Brazil's History through a cultural perspective”

Lecture will include the discussion on cultural differences among the people in Brazil, and take place second day of the Festival, on Saturday August 18th at the Cultural Center Summer Cinema.

Speakers will be two guests from Brazil João Peçanha, sociologist and Naiara Lira, singer.

The audience will have the opportunity to find out more about the position of black and white woman in Brazil, especially in the world of music. Through an interesting story about changing her artistic name Niara Lira will open issues on identity, fight and racial differences in today Brazil.

The lecture will be held in English language.

Capoeira workshop at Strand beach

As a part of the festival Days of Brazil – Novi Sad Samba Carnival, Capoeira workshop will be held at Strand beach from 17th – 19th of August. This years’ workshop will be led by experienced masters of Capoeira, Mestre Steen from Denmark, Mestre Pulmão and Mestre Chiquinho from Brazil, while the workshop for children will be led by professor Camarao.

Besides people who already practice Capoeira, anyone can join the workshop (children from 4 years of age and older) who would like to try something new, meet new people and socialize. Everyone is welcome, regardless of the Capoeira group they are coming from or whether they practice Capoeira or not.

In addition to classical techniques and fights, all the other aspects of Capoeira will be taught at the workshop: music, acrobatics, samba, maculele and oral lectures.

Capoeira workshops are organized under the wing of Grupo Senzala (Centro Cultural Senzala de Capoeira), one of the biggest Capoeira groups in the world and are realized in coordination of „Grupo Senzala“ from Novi Sad.

Training schedule:

Friday (17th of August) 10h-12h, 16h-17h

Saturday (18th of August) 10h-12h, 17h-19h

Sunday (19th of August) 10h-12h

Training schedule for children:

Friday (17th of August) 10h-11h

Saturday (18th of August) 10h-11h

Sunday (19th of August)10h-11h

Training leaders:

Mestre Steen – Steen Møller- the head leader of Capoeira workshops at Days of Brazil, founded Capoeira School Senzala in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1991. He is a student of a late Mestre Peixinho (1947 – 2011), Rio de Janeiro, and the only master within the Grupo Senzala who is not of Brazilian origin. A decade after the opening of Capoeira School in Copenhagen, he comes to Serbia bringing this martial art to our country. Under his wing there is a capoeira school in Novi Sad and four capoeira schools in Belgrade.

Mestre Pulmão – Marcelo Santos is also a student of Mestre Peixinho. He was first introduced to Capoeira as a child when he began practicing in a small group in order to later become a part of Grupo Senzala where he still practices today. He started giving classes in the slumps of Rio de Janeiro and was later invited to give classes in an orphanage and different schools. He held workshops in Brazil, France, Hungary, Serbia, England, USA, etc. In 2007 he opened a school in Belgrade and in 2008 in Skopje.

Mestre Chiquinho – Francisco Nascimento de Lima is one of the youngest masters within the Gupo Senzala. He started practicing Capoeira in 1990 as a student of Mestre Zumbi and in 2000 becam a student of Mestre Peixinho. He lives and works in Budapest where, in 2006, he opened a Capoeira School. Besides this one, he also runs schools in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais – Ponte Nova), Austria (Graz), Croatia (Osijek) and Russia (Moscow).

Professor Camarao – Pelle Stryhn is a student of Mestre Steen from 1991. He was in Brazil several times. He is a dancer, musician, percussionist and also a great connoisseur of Brazilian culture.

Samba Dance with Brazilian Meire de Oliveira

The leader of the samba dance workshop for this year will be dancer from Brazil – Meire de Oliveira Participants of this workshop will have the chance to learn some basic moves of this exotic dance and prepare performance for the international carnival parade that will go through the city center at the last day of the Festival.

The workshops will be organized in to two groups for beginners without dance experience, who does not attend any dance group, and dancers with previous dance experience that are actively dancing and performing.

Workshops will be held according to the following schedule at Cultural and Art Ensamble “Svetozar Markovic” (address Sumadijska 6):

Friday and Saturday (August 17th and 18th)

16.00 to 17.00 Beginners

17.30 to 19.00 Advanced

About the samba dance workshop leader

Meire de Oliveira is from Brazil and has performed in distinct artistic sceneries in Brazil and Europe. In addition, she has taught and held several workshops in Brazilian dances – a genre she brought with her at her dance school in Denmark.

At present Meire holds workshops in distinct childcare institutions and at primary schools in connection with integration projects for foreign children. She has continued her focus on Brazilian dances but do also work with Creative Dance, Hip-hop, Modern Dance, Contemporary Afro dance and Ballet.

Exhibition of Brazilian photographer Eduardo Lopes

Exhibition of photos titled “Brasilia, Capital of Brazil, Live and in Color“ will be exposed at the Novi Sad Cultural Center open air cinema. The exhibition will be open to the public during the Festival Dani Brazila – Novi Sad samba Carnival from August 17th to 19th 2012.

About the Exhibition

The exhibition, a small stroke that brings in sight the bold architecture of the capital of Brazil. Through an approach of overlaps between general plans and subtle details, empties into the artistic genius and often challenging of Oscar Niemeyer. Trough him he reaffirms the creative possibility, finally overcoming the technical impossibilities, where the accuracy of the structural calculation loses its context and delivers itself to the boldness of him who creates out of, so far, uncreatable. This is Brasilia.

About the author

Du Lopes (Lopes Eduardo Fagundes), 25 years old, attends the last semester of the School of Visual Arts, University of Brasilia - UNB, where he received an award for best screenplay at the Festival de Curtas de Calouros. Edu has worked as a mediator and gave workshops at Caixa Cultural, participated in the Expostais - Postcard Exhibition, celebrating 50 years of Brasilia, but he soon yielded to the charms of the exciting world of photography. He deepened then in the study of photographic techniques, concomitant with an innate concern with esthetics he catches. He is currently a professional photographer and operates mainly in the coverage of cultural events. Edu has in his portfolio some relevant events like 'Grito Rock Brasilia', ‘Móveis Convida’ and ‘Marreco's Fest’, where he captured the important moments of bands from Brazil and abroad, including: Totem, Live Wire, Etno, Móveis Coloniais de Acajú, Naiara Lira and band and others.