The merger of three cultures - the indigenous, of tribes existing at the time of colonization, the black, the African slaves, and Europe, the Portuguese - were born to Brazilian folkloric dances.
Arising within the people and transmitted over generations, the Brazilian folkloric dances representing facts and passages of the cultural backgrounds of Brazil, inspired by pagan and Christian religious rituals. One of the elements common to many is the procession, which sometimes takes on greater importance that the action itself. The trail is originally from a mixture of processions Jesuit - of which involved the believers, Christians, new and Gentiles, with comedie his clothes and musical instruments - and also of cortejos Africans. The participants followed the house at home, singing and dancing to the location of representation, called embassy.
These dances can be divided into three main groups: the pastoral, the arrivance and kings. The first is undertaken in the Christmas period, and present two forms: the pastoral and Lapinha itself. The Lapinha, danced in the living room of the house, before the Nativity scene, for girls dressed as pastors, celebrates the birth of Christ. The shepherd formed two strands: the red, led by the master, and blue, by the foreman. The dispute between the two cords is used as a way to raise funds for social works of the parish, because the price of each cord is rising in line with the cash donations from their supporters. The pasture, running on an outdoor stage, has profanity and biting, and is danced and sung by women, run by a comic character: the onion, old, the saloio, so the sailor.
The arrivance, acted in that scenario represents a large vessel, with many participants, whose main theme of the sea and struggles are a heritage of war of Christians against the Portuguese attacker Moor, then there are Christians-and-Moors. There are a arrivance the damn crew, which is the sailor or fandango, and arrivance of Moors, which is the arrivance itself. Represented as a series of maritime scenes, culminating with the approach of the Moors, who are losers and baptized. In some places, the arrivance is called barge.
The kings and traditionally run on the eve of the Epiphany and is a choreographic adaptation of former DRAMATIZED novels and popular songs. The principle is generally structured in a single episode and could be shown as a procession of beggars who chanted religious verses or humorous, or file sacros represented on the life of Christ. Once incorporated is the presentation of bomb-my-ox, the character originated presépios, now being presented alone, especially in juninos celebrations.
The bomb-my-ox, also called cow or ox-Bumbá-Sumba, is the best known and popular dance. Simpler than the arrivance and the pastoral, which require a scaffold to be executed, the bomb-my-ox needs only free space. The plot of self changes from region to region and there is no fixed model of a plot.
There are other forms of dramatic dances still practiced in Brazil, with larger or smaller changes with respect to their original representation, as the region where they are held. The Congo and the Congo, which in its most primitive form is just a real trail where Parade with outdoor songs and dances, revive, by means of dramatic action, the passages and customs of African tribal life.
The Maracatu is a derivation of the Congo and has greater penetration in Pernambuco. The dance develops the action proposed by Congo, and maintains the basic characters: the king, the queen and ambassador. The cords of maracatu leaving the carnival and each takes a special name of religion or geographical origin, preceded by the word nation.
Another dance of carnival is of Black, of indigenous origin, to the sound of percussion, without songs figurations and primary. The characters, fantasiados of Indians, simulate movements of attack and defense. The element beyond the musical and choreographic demands a certain virtuosity of the dancers.
The Mozambique, popular dance that is part of celebrations of the Holy Ghost, do not have dramatic plot. Probably originated among the slaves of gold mines in colonial Brazil, is to dance desfila that a procession through the streets. The ballet choreography does not follow predetermined, and a number of musical and other are made louvações similar to cantochões, more gemidas that sung.
Other forms of dance, which had moments of greater or lesser penetration in the past, are the lundu, the coconut and cateretê. The lundu born in slave quarters, won the streets and came to enter the palaces.
The coconut, popular dance Northeast, the hinterland and the coast, which is also called coco-de-beach, has African origin. The choreography is similar to that of indigenous ballet, with many variations. The most common is the wheel of men and women, who sing verses interspersed by the chorus soloist, called "tirador of coconut." For the pace, it is generally use only the palms, the zabumba and crystal meth.
The cateretê is a pair of dance, originating in the southern region of the colonial period. It presents some fixed, with two rows directed by violist, one for men and another for women, who dance to the sound of palms and beaten on the feet.
The gang dances to occur during the Jerk, dedicated to St. Anthony, St. John and St. Peter. Tradition broadcast nationally, remains stronger in the Northeast, especially in the cities of the interior. Pair of dances are performed collectively, under the coordination of a master-of-ceremonies, which controls the steps. Clearly the European origin, both the choreography and by expressions of command, screamed in a sort of French aportuguesado as "anavantu" (en avant tous!, "All the way!") And "anarriê" (en arrière! " backward! ").
The riddle of Portuguese origin, is danced in concentric wheels, men and women inside out. Music and lyrics are originally Portuguese, but already fully abrasileiradas. There is a children's version, which is before the cirandinha, famous for the lyrics and music - Ciranda, cirandinha / we all sift / Let's give the half-turn / back-and-half we give - that crossed centuries without change, as often happen to the children's games.
