Viva La Samba and the Carnival Ecstasy!

Post by R.M. team

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

Notting Hill Carnival 2010

Notting Hill Carnival held in the streets of London W11 is the largest street party in Europe. The music, dance, food and costumes attract around a million people each year. What a staggering event!

Every year for two consecutive days at the end of August the streets are crowded with food stalls, static music stages and alcohol on full flow. Set around the parading carnival route of London W11, Sunday is traditionally the children’s day and Monday is for the adults. Inevitably the adults’ day attracts a larger crowd, parades often display more exciting costumes, and spectators sport wilder outfits, all in the name of the carnival spirit.

Over 40 static sound systems positioned around the Carnival area provide the perfect setting for DJ's playing various genres of music. Live stages feature local as well as international bands and artists, and there is plenty of music for all tastes.

Every street has an array of food stands serving a variety of hot and cold dishes, with the traditional Caribbean jerk chicken still dominating. The barbecue’s tantalizing aroma hovers over most of the London W11 streets and there is a huge range of dishes to sink your teeth into... And then there is booze! Ranging from beers to vodka jelly shots, you can have it all! The carnival holiday is the only time of the year when it seems almost acceptable to trash the streets with used beverage cans, take-away containers and be totally wasted! The amazing array of music and sounds, great food, street bars, and the spectacular costumes sum up the general carnival spirit.

Unlike during the previous years when we simply cruised around the streets of London W11, ogling at naked butts on display while munching on jerk chicken and enjoying the traditional and contemporary sounds of music, this year the Retox Magazine team has decided to take a closer look and discover what it feels like to be at the heart of the carnival, closely following the Paraiso School of Samba.

Notting Hill Carnival, August 30th 2010. The Morning

Monday 7am, and the raging alarm clock has already damaged my eardrums. The alarm clock’s exhausted battery is a sign that I only have half an hour left to set out on my mission. The dress code is white and I have to be there at 8.

On my arrival I got presented with an access-all-areas red wristband, and then eventually with the Paraiso School of Samba t-shirt. The carnival spirit is in full swing. Elaborate costumes designed by the president of Paraiso School of Samba, Henrique, are about to shine in their full glory. Statuesque poses of the dancers wearing the costumes will do the parade more than proud, and the musicians will make enough noise to charge-up the crowd to a frenzy and strike my eardrums back into action.

Viva La Samba at Paraiso School of Samba!

For those less familiar with samba, samba is a type of music and dance developed from musical traditions of the Africans of Brazil. It was radically developed in Rio at the turn of the century, with variations of samba now being played throughout the world.

Paraiso School of Samba, the largest UK provider of samba percussion and dance classes, closely follow the authentic Brazilian School of Samba's structure and objectives, with the school’s artistic direction carried out by artists who grew up in the Rio de Janeiro samba community. The features of the Brazilian school of samba are continued within the Paraiso School of Samba, with percussion, music, dance, carnival and costume design and float construction being at the core of its focus.

Heroes of Independence at Notting Hill Carnival 2010

It is 9:30am and 300 Paraiso School of Samba participants are all lining up on Barlby Road. Five different carnival floats paying homage to various heroes of independence with the last float being dedicated to Gandhi who’s portrait is set in stunningly colossal white roses made by Carnavalesco Henrique himself. The last few minutes are allocated for photos then the parade begins. The dancers, percussionists, singers, stewards and the rest of the Paraiso procession are ready for the carnival.

The line up follows the Brazilian school of samba's professional carnival structure with Comissão de Frente (front commission enacting a piece of theatre) coming first, followed by a series of other compulsory Brazilian school of samba alas (groups), including male and female Passistas, Bateria (percussion band) and Baianas – older ladies wearing large hooped skirts at the end of the procession.

As music and sound is a hugely important element of the samba school, Paraiso had called for the one and only Mestre Esteves to lend his skills to the Paraiso Bateria. Mestre Esteves arrived all the way from Rio to take part in the Notting Hill Carnival 2010. The Bateria – a group of 65 samba percussionists, all in costumes, is lead by Leila crowned the Queen of the Bateria 2010, and to be crowned the Queen of the Bateria it takes more than just having to wear a scrumptious outfit. Leila has proven to be worthy of the crown and the post at the spectacular competition held at Cargo a couple of months prior to the carnival.

Paraiso’s overpowering sound of samba was complimented by Rio’s most talked about puxador Wantuir from Grande Rio, accompanied by three other vocalists and two musicians on cavanquinhos - a guitar like instrument with a huge resemblance to a ukulele, not to mention the percussion. And to add to the carnival ecstasy, with a united aim to share the sounds of samba with the rest of the world, Paraiso gathered top samba music professionals in Rio and composed a theme tune entitled Heroes of Independence celebrating this year’s carnival theme.

For Paraiso School of Samba the Notting Hill Carnival is the climax of months of preparation. With the carnival preparations taking almost a year, they only have a few minutes to impress the judges and approximately 3 miles over 5 hours to share their spectacular costumes, rhythms, grooves, moves and energy with the crowd. Despite the Notting Hill Carnival being judged according to the Caribbean traditions rather than the Brazilian ones, Paraiso School of Samba still managed to win the Notting Hill Carnival in 2005 for being the best band on the road – the only non-Caribbean group to have ever won it. Good going Paraiso!

…Alas, Paraiso's carnival ecstasy comes to an end

7pm and the carnival is over. The London W11 street party is coming to a close but the Paraiso’s School of Samba party is just beginning. As the key protagonists of Paraiso School of Samba are busy clearing, deconstructing, packing and removing all traces of the parade, other exhausted Paraiso School of Samba members indulge themselves in fabulous Brazilian food, drinks and listen to the live sounds of Pagode.

Paraiso School of Samba's triumphant carnival presentation was a grand addition to the carnival spirit and people’s cheering and appreciation remains a great incentive to return to the Notting Hill Carnival next year in 2011.

While Paraiso’s floats return home to their storage location in a barn on a farm in Leicestershire, Henrique is left to brainstorm the carnival costume ideas before he starts sketching the designs next month for Notting Hill Carnival 2011. With 2011 being the year of Paraiso’s 10th anniversary, there is much work to be done. Just to give you a sneak preview, next year’s anniversary parade will be a reminder of the best elements featured during the previous carnival years with added splendour. The rest remains top secret.

As the Notting Hill Carnival 2010 fades into memory, we are now left in anticipation for next year. A street party not to be missed!