"Notes from the Field" spotlights articles, photos, drawings and observations as seen by researchers as they travel and work throughout the world... We hope to give you an insider's view of field studies via reports sent to CCDR.

The first "in process" field reports are from Vice President of the CCDR Board, Elsie Ivancich Dunin, followed by members Danielle J. Van Dobben, Pegge Vissicaro and Renee Noelle Meiffren.  As they become available, additional reports will be added.

Pegge Vissicaro                                   

PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Dance at Arizona State University teaches courses in Cross-Cultural Dance Studies, Dance in World Cultures, and Dance Research Methods.  Her research interests include dance and music of Brazil, where she lives each summer with her family. Pegge has been a Board member of Cross-Cultural Dance Resources, Inc. since 1997.

                                                 

Attending a quadrilha dance event,  Friday, July 4, 2003

Guaraná, Espírito Santo, Brazil

 

            I am attending the quadrilha dance event sponsored by the public school (Escola Estadual de Ensino Fundamental e Médio Professor Aparício Alvarenga) in Guaraná, Espírito Santo, Brazil.  This day only children in the 1st to 4th grades dance the quadrilha, which takes place in a fenced outdoor basketball court used for all types of special activities, located in the school yard.

            Walking into the entrance, I smell the popcorn cooking in a small wagon and see the small crowds of people hovering around the portable hotdog stands.  The dirt floor of the courtyard creates a dusty environment which continues to worsen over the evening, as teenagers and adults arrive for the forró, happening later at night.  On one side of the space is a series of bancas, or booths.  In the pescaria, two young women arrange poles for the children to catch 'fish' and win prizes, such as soap and bags of chips.  Further down the row, a variety of food is sold.  Besides beer and soft drinks (including Guaraná …the name has no connection to the village of Guaraná), there is the traditional quentão, a hot cinnamon, ginger beverage with pinga (cachaça…or fermented sugar cane, Brazil’s equivalent to rum).  Its soothing mix of flavors is welcome during the cool winter evenings.  I purchase a plate of carne de sol and aipím, which is sun dried salted meat and fried mandioc root.  This type of food is traditionally served in local bars and restaurants.  I also buy cups of canjica, a sweet, warm, milky, corn meal associated with the festas juninas and julinas. 

            Quadrilha in Brazil only happens during the months of June and July and are usually performed in connection to the days of Santo Antônio (June 13), São João (June 24), and São Pedro (June 29).  However, the popularity of events in which quadrilha occurs often last until mid July.  This also is the harvest season and time of the solstice, where days are short.  An emphasis on corn products, particularly pamonha, corn bread, cuzcuz (a sweet corn pudding with a shredded coconut topping) as well as all things related to the farm, including scarecrows and bales of hay are ubiquitous. 

            At approximately 8:00 pm, the children proceed toward the activity area, a cemented space with a sound system on one end.  It is open to view on all four sides, however, the fence clearly separates the performers from the audience.  Holes in the structure permit a few people to enter the space.  The school’s director sees me with a camera and extends an invitation to come 'inside' to videotape.  Over the past two years I have attended this same event but was never able to view the dance from a vantage point unobstructed by the metal fence.  Two groups of 18 couples each form two circles.  These 72 boys and girls are dressed as caipiras or hillbillies, some faces are painted with freckles, mustaches, and beards.  Most wear shoes, generally boots or sandals, a few are barefoot.  Girls wear brightly colored checkered dresses with sashes, boys have on plaid shirts, straw hats, and jeans full of patches. 

  (photo by P.Vissicaro)

 

            With an adult caller, they perform a variety of patterns and create formations.  The grande roda (or big circle) travels counterclockwise, however, with the call of contra-mão (against the 'traffic' flow), the dancers switch directions to move clockwise.  Like square dancing, partners are exchanged, but the original couples always come back together at the end of a sequence.  Two interesting patterns are the girasol (sunflower) and costura inglesa (English sewing).  The sunflower is made as the boy kneels on his left knee, the right leg is bent so the foot is flat on the ground.  With his left palm up and right hand on the waist, he takes his partner's right hand and leads her to circle once around his stationary position, then she proceeds forward to the next boy and repeats the same action.  The English sewing pattern requires the group to create two lines, one that locomotes and the other that remains stationary.  While holding hands, the leader of one line weaves in between the spaces created in the stationary line by each dancer also holding hands.  The line passes through on one side and then turns to pass through the next opening, like a needle and thread sewing cloth. 

            Music is recorded and usually involves melodic instruments such as sanfona (accordion) and guitar.  It is a bright, happy 4/4 rhythm with a moderately fast paced tempo that encourages smiles, clapping, and movement even while standing in place.  It is purely instrumental, no songs are sung, the only voice is that of the caller.

            This quadrilha is nearly 25 minutes in length and ends with a section in which one person stands in the center with a rope, and lassos a partner of the opposite sex to dance.  A struggle between the 'captured' individual and his or her partner occurs until there is no more resistance.  The new couple comes together in the center of the large circle for a brief dance, moving in a circle clockwise.

            After the quadrilha ends many other events occur.  An innovation this year is a contest of caipiras, dressed in mismatched socks, suspenders with bulging stomachs, disheveled clothes, and missing teeth.  Each couple enters into the space and parades for the judges to determine who is the 'worst.' Some individuals cross dress, others perform by falling, walking in funny ways, and interacting with the audience and their partner.  The children imitate caipiras, who were originally people that settled in the rural areas in the southeast states of Brazil, particularly São Paulo.

            After the parade, love messages (correio do amor) are submitted to the announcer who reads them aloud.  One girl writes, "my love for you is like pinga, as it enters my blood, I become crazy." Another states, "I love you from the bottom of my heart," while the music, Arms Wide Open, a ballad by Creed plays in the background.  Meanwhile, the audience is growing impatient waiting to play bingo.  Nowadays the game is called sorte (luck) due to state laws prohibiting bingo.  Cards have been purchased for one real each (this is the Brazilian currency; the exchange rate is 2.73 reais per dollar).  Today the prize is a young cow.  At this point, the fenced activity space is filled with people, some are sitting on the hard ground, others are standing.  Children play tag, running in between groups.  As the numbers are called, the excitement builds as people cross their fingers, hoping to win.  Twenty minutes after the game begins, someone yells, she has filled all the numbers on her card.  The organizers confirm her numbers and congratulate the winner.  All proceeds for sorte, the bancas, and food sales go toward supporting the school.  I learn that there will be another quadrilha on July 12th (2003) and look forward to attending that event.

 

And please remember, the above report belongs to Cross-Cultural Dance Resources, Inc. and Pegge Vissicaro.. It may not be copied without written permission.