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diversions
L.B. sizzles in
Brazil heat
By Alisha Gomez
Photos by Christine Shin
On-line Forty-Niner
Lively music and
colorful costumes brought the Brazilian Street Carnaval to
life in downtown Long Beach Sunday, as dancers, musicians
and the grand marshal led the highlighted parade down the
route.
Parade participants danced and sang along the Promenade between
First Street and Third Street in skimpy costumes adorned with
feathers as they smiled and shook their bodies like true Brazilian
dancers.
Drummers banged away creating a lively atmosphere while people
swayed to the beats and bounced from booth to booth, eyeing
all the vendors' goodies. Jewelry, henna tattoos, clothing
and drums were just some of the items sold.
One dancer in the parade, Lúcia Kerck, represented
ZaBumba, a Culver City nightclub. ZaBumba participates in
the parade every year, and this year Kerck said she thought
this year's carnaval was better than the last.
Kerck has been to the Carnaval in R'o de Janeiro and thought
the one in Long Beach was very realistic to the one in Brazil.
"The Carnaval here was very similar to the one in Brazil,"
Kerck said. She also said that the items vendors sold, the
music and costumes were all very authentic.
Marcia Carvalho, a clothing store manager and Samba dancer
for seven years, wore a beautiful blue and white costume.
Wearing what she called the moon and the sun, Carvalho said
her costume represented night and day.
The King of the Carnaval, Alex de Oliveira, flew in from R'o
and made his entrance in Long Beach with two lovely ladies
dancing by his side. De Oliveira was King of the Carnaval
in 1999 and was re-elected this year.
Lori McPherson, an employee of Tony's Restaurant in Long Beach,
has worked the festival before and said that there were many
differences compared to last year's carnaval.
"Last year, it was really crowded because anyone could
get in," McPherson said. This year people had to pay
$15 for adults to get in. "Since the crowd was smaller,
the festival was a lot nicer than last year. We didn't have
people just walking off the streets and coming to the carnaval."
McPherson felt that the whole event was overall better this
year. "The music was really good," she said. "There
were a lot of bigger names, some bigger singers from Brazil.
It was a lot more organized."
McPherson said there were more vendors this year and the parade
was nicer too.
"It was a big deal to have King Momo from Brazil for
the parade, especially to the Brazilian community," McPherson
said.
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SambaLá
dancers shake Rio-style along the Promenade parade route.
Ballroom Master Bryant Evangelista leaps in celebration on
Broadway, as Maija Hunter swings the school flag.
King Momo, center, together with some of the
day's entertainment, smiles for the camera.
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