A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
043: Slavic Dance Group
P
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 1991-2001, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
043: Slavic Dance Group
P
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 1991-2001, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
250: Colorful umbrellas
Pernambuco has a rich and colorful culture. Both Recife and Olinda are widely known for colorful carnival that attracts millions of visitors. Also well known is the frevo, which has a very interesting history. Late nineteenth century, two military bands participated in carnival parades. These bands were very competitive and tried to outdo each other by playing louder and faster. Some members of these orchestras drove the bystanders apart with capoeira movements and with knives, and soon these rough guys from both orchestras were fighting each other. These fights resulted in many injuries and even deaths. Eventually, the knives were replaced by little, colorful umbrellas, and capoeira movements were further refined to the typical frevo dance. The man in the picture sells the little umbrellas.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2009, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
JULY 2006: Capoeira
In Salvador, we were hosted by the local Federal University, the UFBA. During our first evening in Salvador, we were invited to watch demonstrations of aspects of the local culture. First of all, we all joined to have the traditional acarajé snack: a deep-fried snack made from peeled black-eyed peas, and filled with a pasta with onions, and shrimps. That night, I got acquainted with the candomblé rituals. Those rituals had been introduced by African slaves and their descendants. Another slave’s legacy is the capoeira, a kind of martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music. For the slaves, it was strictly forbidden to wear and use weapons; therefore, the slaves developed a different kind of martial art, in which footwork plays an important role. A professional capoeira demonstration is breathtaking to watch. The tightly controlled acrobatic moves, with which they are apparently hitting each other, but in fact they really try to avoid touching each other. One of the most impressive moves was the somersault as demonstrated in the picture. I was lucky to have taken the picture at the right time, when this performer was still doing his somersault, as if he was hovering, just thirty centimeters above the floor!
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2014
Once a simple village of fishermen, now one of the most beloved beach locations in Brazil, about 165 km east of Fortaleza. One man – Francisco José do Nascimento – was born here, whose refusal to participate in slave transport gave him the nickname “Dragão do Mar”, Sea Dragon. It was not until the seventies of the past century when the small village was discovered by hippies, and not much later by European (most French) film makers. Believe it or not, the main avenue in Canoa Quebrada is called Broadway. Indeed, a relatively wide avenue. Very quiet at day. Only a few people will be met then. Maybe a number of tourists at the small local supermarket. At night, tourist know to find the bars, the restaurants, the night clubs. When I was there with a large group of students, we enjoyed the bars at night, and went to visit the night clubs after midnight. We jumped from a reggae bar to a night club with dance music, and back to reggae, followed by more dance, and even more reggae. Almost all night long. Talking about Broadway… We observed this curvy path near the beach. A cobble stone path, full of stars, as I have seen earlier in Los Angeles. This beach path should be called the walk of fame? At least, it was me who had walked there…
The original picture was taken in January 2008.
Click HERE for general information about FORTALEZA,
including history, touristic information and informative videos.