The Impact Of America On Brazilian Dancing Culture
Brazil is a country founded on music and dance. Its dance styles are woven into their identity and have become part of growing up as a Brazilian citizen. More than any other foreign country, dance is part of the stereotypical image of Brazil and its culture. Although dance is deeply rooted in Brazil’s culture, there are outside influences that affect its particular style. Brazil and America tend to borrow from each other because of their amicable political relationship and similar appreciation of diverse culture. Americans are internationally known as being flashy and wealthy, which is how the rest of Latin America views Brazil. This must mean that America socially influences Brazil, since these characteristics are not inherent to Brazil’s people. Current Brazilian dance would not be the same if not for American influence.
The samba is a national cultural symbol, and it gets spotlighted at Rio De Janeiro’s Carnival, the festival of floats of samba dancers celebrating life through the lens of religion. Carnival occurs during the time between lent and Easter. Samba schools typically lead the parade, lasting around four days each year. Its origins are buried in Catholic customs and celebrations, but each year it becomes more commercialized. The samba dancers dress in intricately designed outfits, usually adorning jewels and flashing bright, statement colors. People travel from all over the world to experience Carnival; the event even attracts notable celebrities each year. Little do these travelers realize that they are coming to Rio to witness an Americanized version of Carnival. Recently, Carnival has taken on the image of what Americans tend to stereotype Brazil as. What was once religiously-rooted garments of celebration has become a costume available on American lingerie websites. American pop culture has taken over the social scene surrounding Carnival. The event now markets itself the way a music festival does, with YouTube videos of highlights from the previous year. An article from The Rio Times even acknowledges that the “early celebrations of Carnival are far from the way the festival is currently celebrated nowadays. ” The article goes on to claim that “presently the Carnival has bloomed into a celebration enjoyed by citizens from around the world, it has created an industry that provides jobs to residents, and brings in significant tourism income from across Brazil and abroad. ” This shows the positive side to the commercialization of Carnival.
“Dancing Brasil” is a reality dance competition television show, taking after the United States’ ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars. ” Like its American predecessor, the show documents the competition between pairs of professional dancers and celebrities. The show first aired on April 3, 2017, earning a high rating of 95% from Google users. Its success insinuated seasons two and three, premiering July 24, 2017 and January 17, 2018 sequentially. The fourth season premiered recently on September 26, 2018. In the opening of the third season, the cast members performed on the Estaiada Bridge in São Paolo, mimicking Hollywood’s “La La Land” opening scene in which the actors stuck in a traffic jam break out into dance, singing “Another Day of Sun. ” This reference illustrates the influence that American pop culture has on foreign artistic expression. Brazilian Baile Funk parties are less traditional, but have become increasingly popular throughout Brazil’s youth. Funk Carioca, a term that means “from Rio, ” Brazilian style of dance is more casual compared to traditional Brazilian styles. This style is usually performed by teenagers, typically in a concert or night club setting. Funk musicians will play and the Brazilian youth flock to the unconventional sounds. The style became popularized by working class people living in favelas. Black Brazilians were able to find a political and racial identity through this style of dance because it was heavily influenced by Miami rap and American funk and soul. The style was criminalized because it was rooted in black culture and rival gangs coming together under a collective black consciousness. Police began to shut down shows, while the government banned Baile Funk music and parties. Once the dictatorship ended, Baile Funk parties transformed into a meeting place for drug cartels. The first Black Soul party, based on America’s Black is Beautiful movement, happened in 1967 in Rio. Now, these events are slowly decreasing in frequency because the police target and sometimes murder funkeiros. In response to this, crime rates have been increasing ever since because the parties united feuding gangs under their racial similarities.
In conclusion, Brazilian dance styles are at the core of their cultural identity. Where Brazilian and American dance in pop culture intersect comes modern Brazilian events. America has, for better or for worse, infiltrated the once purely Brazilian traditions in dancing. In some cases, America’s influence has been beneficial in creatively assisting in the ascent of Brazilian dances. In other cases, America’s influence has interfered with the sacredness of the events, like Carnival. In either way, biases aside, there has been an undeniable effect on Brazilian culture from its American brother. This is where the line of cultural appreciation vs. culture appropriation becomes extremely important. Does the fact that Americans attend Rio’s Carnival make it less authentic, or does it mean that America is learning to appreciate the differences in culture between their country and the rest of the world? Unfortunately the answer does not change the reality of Brazil’s cultural ‘watering-down. ’ Overall, it is positive that American culture has so heavily influenced Brazil’s culture through the lens of dance, as long as its influence attempts to remain on the side of cultural appreciation and sharing of artistic power.
