Tag Archives: Culture
Best Cities to Live in 2010 – Lisbon & São Paulo Posted by polyana on Apr 20, 2010
Yesterday, AskMen.com released their annual “Top 29 Cities to Live In,” report and in this 2010 edition, 2 Lusophone cities were chosen: Lisbon, Portugal (at #18) and São Paulo, Brazil (at #16)! I mention these because for someone learning Portuguese and is considering studying or working abroad, there are certain factors one must take into account…
Reproduced Songs: David Bowie Meets Seu Jorge Posted by polyana on Apr 12, 2010
The other day, my friend and I were talking about songs Brazilian artists translate from another language (mostly from English) to Portuguese and whether we like them or not. We came to the conclusion that some artists have some translations and remakes that are a little tasteless (i.e., Preta Gil singing “Hoje Estou Solteira,” a…
Poetry Practice – Círculo de Aguinaldo Fonseca Posted by polyana on Feb 28, 2010
One important thing to remember when learning Portuguese is that the Lusophone world is goes much further than Brazil and Portugal. Cape Verde is a lusophonic country, with Portuguese being one of its official languages, and has an extremely rich culture, especially in its literature and music. Although some music and poetry is found in…
É, Carnaval! Posted by polyana on Feb 12, 2010
When most people think of Carnaval in Brazil, they think about the big parades in Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo with their decorated floats, gorgeous women dancing samba and adorned in [just] glitter, and percussion bands. Others also think of the carnaval street parades in Bahia where the biggest Axé stars parade around in…
Favorite Brazilian Dance Posted by Rachel on Sep 23, 2009
For today’s interactive feature, the question is: what’s your favorite Brazilian dance? Personally, my favorite kind of dance to do is lambada, which is sometimes referred to as zouk. It’s a ton of fun to dance, though it takes a bit of practice, and is a great workout. I also really enjoy forró from Salvador…
Brazilian Dance: Chula Posted by Rachel on Jun 22, 2009
Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state and one of the states most heavily populated by European descendants, has a number of traditional dances that come from several European traditions. One of these dances is called chula. Of Portuguese origin, this dance is done in male pairs by stomping and tapping in a sort of…
Video Learning Series: Festa Junina Posted by Rachel on Jun 1, 2009
Today we’re going to practice listening comprehension with a new set of videos. Since it’s June 1st, we’re going to look at some videos about the festa junina, a traditional party that takes place in June, when children dress up in costumes and neighbors come together to eat, drink, and dance. The first video discusses…