Archive for 'Culture'
What’s Pagode? Posted by polyana on Apr 4, 2011
Following up on Rachel’s post on ExaltaSamba, I thought I’d talk a little bit about what pagode (pronounce pah-gaw-gee) actually IS. There are a lot of different interpretations of the word pagode, and you will often hear a lot of Brazilians downplaying this sub-genre of samba. I myself, will oftentimes hear, “Eu gosto de samba…
Exaltasamba Posted by Rachel on Mar 31, 2011
You may have never heard of Exaltasamba, a pagode and samba group from Brazil, but they’re a popular group that has been around since the 1980s. The group began in 1986, when the members began playing at local bars in São Bernardo do Campo, in São Paulo state. They released their first album in 1992…
Fables in Portuguese Posted by Rachel on Mar 27, 2011
Fábulas, or fables, are a helpful way to learn vocabulary in Portuguese. Let’s take a look at three fables and pick out some helpful vocabulary words. O Cachorro e Sua Sombra Um cachorro, que carregava na boca um pedaço de carne, ao cruzar uma ponte sobre um riacho, vê sua imagem refletida na água. Diante…
Restart Interviews Posted by Rachel on Mar 17, 2011
Restart is a popular Brazilian pop band especially popular with teenagers. Today, we’re going to listen to some of their interviews to practice listening comprehension. The band recently got into trouble because of this interview. Why is that? In this interview, the guys talk about how they got started. When did the idea for the…
Rio De Janeiro Samba Schools Posted by Rachel on Mar 6, 2011
Já é Carnaval! Recently, we learned about Carnival in São Paulo and Minas Gerais, and we’ve learned about Carnival in Rio and Recife before. Today begins Rio de Janeiro’s samba school competition, when the city’s top twelve schools compete against each other at the Sambodrome. A samba school is a group that develops original songs…
Carnaval 2011 Countdown: Folia in Minas Gerais Posted by polyana on Feb 28, 2011
The most famous Carnaval celebrations in Minas Gerais are usually in the historic towns of Ouro Preto, Diamantina & Mariana. However, there are many other parade and parties in numerous small towns around the state. These are usually called, Carnaval de Rua, where there are parades called blocos carnavalescos and sometimes stages set in the middle of…
Lixo Extraordinário Posted by Rachel on Feb 22, 2011
With the Oscars coming up this weekend, I wanted to make sure you’re all in the loop about the one Brazilian candidate, which is nominated for Best Documentary. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the movie which I’ve seen multiple times and written about for a long time, so I wanted to share the info…