New Red Back Piece

Oi Gente


I have been dying to show off my new back piece, but things have been crazy with Carnaval related shows, Carnaval Ball preparations, and my awful cold. We have been rehearsing twice a week and workshopping costume and dance ideas for each show, which leaves me little time for other samba things. Regardless, I am still dying to show off the latest addition to my samba costume collection!

One of the first back pieces I have ever made was a large, lotus-leaf, gold and red pack piece. It was beautiful and impressive but the size was cumbersome and the style, after a while, became outdated. After  brainstorming for weeks, I decided to take apart the back piece and use the materials to make a new and elaborate piece.


I started off with metal frames I bought in Rio de Janeiro. The carnaval frame goes on like a backpack and can be molded to fit just right.

Once I had the frame molded to fit my needs, I wrapped it with foam and a thin nylon fabric. The foam serves to cushion and protect the frame against my skin and the fabric helps hold the foam in place. I followed by wrapping the frame with a bright-red strap and secured the ends with hot blue.

To the center of the frame, I added red ostrich feathers and a few pheasant feathers for an extra pop. I then embellished the shoulder straps with swarovski crystals and was done.

The whole process took me four night and now I have a gorgeous back piece to go along with my new bikini. Love it!

Beijos and enjoy your day!

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Goals for the New Year 2014

Goals for the New Year

Every year, I see friends and family members set New Year's resolutions and for a hot minute, I think of doing the same. Then I remember I don't believe in them. Instead, I like to set goals, which I accomplish and then am free to set new goals throughout the year. This year, I will do the same.

For now, I have simple goals. After all, I no longer have a master's degree program hanging over my head (Yeah!). This means, I am free to enjoy my nights and weekends and no longer have to lock myself in a room and study the day away. I digress. My goals for now are to (1) enjoy those around me, (2) complete unfinished projects, and (3) plan a baby shower for a good friend and former San Francisco Carnaval Queen--no pressure!


Goal 1: Aquarela's Bring in the New Year Party
To simplify things and take away the pressure of attending another holiday party in December, we decided to celebrate in January with a Welcome the New Year Party. The event was carefree and relaxing, allowing me to have a great time with some of my closest friends and some of the best samba dancers in the San Francisco Bay Area.


Goal 2: Finish my red Carnaval bikini
It's official, red is my new favorite color. The rhinestones and swarovski stones in the bikini bring a glitz and shine to the bikini that I was never able to achieve with just beads. The headpiece is also fabulous with color that I just can't find in the American feather market.
Update: I finally finished the bikini and love it. As an added bonus, I have a shoulder piece from a previous carnaval that goes well with the costume.

Goal 3: Baby Shower
This shower thing is a great deal of work but loads of fun. I have even created a Pinterest board with my ideas and have decided that when I come back in my next life, I want to be an event planner. The time and effort that goes into planning a single event is impressive but so much fun.

FYI: You may ask why this picture. As I mentioned before, she is a SF Carnaval Queen so even her maternity photos are hot. Really, hot!


Beijos and enjoy your week!

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Costume Makeover: Black Top

Costume Makeover: Black Bra Top

Like a woman with blue eye shadow, teased bangs, and a perm, my costumes were outdated and lacking the oomph much needed in the samba business. They desperately needed a makeover.

For months, I've been planning the makeover of my black bikini but did not have time to put my ideas into fruition (This parenting thing is taking up all my time).This week, however, I finally got around to working on my costume.

Now, my black costume bikini top looks amazing. The new embellishments really pop, and best of all, it makes my small boobs look huge :)

Steps 1: To completely remake the top, I stripped the wire-bra frame of all beads and embellishments. I then covered the wire with black ribbon and felt. This process took longer than actually decorating the costume.

Step 2: After breastfeeding, my boobs have gotten much smaller (Damn this parenting thing!). However, the triangle shape top is still too small for my small boobs (dam it, again!). With a piece of cardboard, I cut out a circular shape, covered it with felt, and attached it to the triangle bra cup. 

  

Step 3: At Joanne Fabric Store, I found a beautiful rhinestone-pearl pendant to serve as the focal point of the bra and glued it on the circular cardboard shape. To finish the look, I glued pre-strung sequence and individual rhinestones around the pendant and finished off the front of the bra by outlining it with pre-strung rhinestones. Bedazzling the bra was the best part.

Completed top

Step 4: Years ago, a neighbor gave me a bag full of mismatched or broken jewelry--Yes, I'm becoming a hoarder and will soon live in a house full of ostrich feathers, old carnaval magazines, damaged costumes, and broken samba shoes. To finish off the top, I added an old rhinestone earring given to me by my neighbor to the center of the bra and used ribbons as bra straps.

The makeover took a total of 4 hours. In the past, I sewed most, if not all, of the embellishments to my costumes. This time, I decided to use a combination of hot glue and fabric glue; let me tell you, it saved me loads of time.

I look forward to wearing my new costume at Ivete Sangalo's U.S. Bay Area show.

Beijos and enjoy your week!

If you like my post, please leave a comment below or click on Follow. I love to hear what you think and appreciate your support. 

Costume TLC

I love dancing, and much like teaching, it is something I was born to do. There is nothing like putting on a beautiful costume, stepping on stage, and performing your best dance moves. LOVE IT!

For me, a costume is a huge part of dancing. When I put on a carnaval bikini and step on stage, I transform into my alter ego, Jessica (I secretly love the name and often use it at Starbuck's). For the past few year, however, I have not been very kind to my costumes. In fact, I completely neglected them. Remember, I became a mom and was working on a master's degree. Costumes, unfortunately, were the last thing on my mind.

Needless to say, my costumes are now a hot, outdated mess. I have mismatched and incomplete outfits, dilapidated backpacks, and featherless hats. It's not pretty and it's beyond sad.

Now that I'm near the end of my master's, I have decided to fix my costumes and get back to costume making and dancing.




To begin, I'm fixing up my black samba bikini. I love the hat but know that the bikini needs major help.






Wish me luck!

Bra and boot covers in serious need of a little TLC.

 

A Musa do Caldeirao--the Muse of Carnaval 2012

Musa do Caldeirao 2012

Every year, Luciano Huck, a prominent Brazilian talk show host, holds a Musa do Caldeirao competition. For a month or so, samba dancers from top Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo samba schools complete for the title. The winner not only is labeled the muse of his show but also receives noted praises and opportunities for the remaining of the year. Needless to say, I can't let this major Brazilian samba event go unblogged.

Below are some of my favorite dancers or costumes!
I'm not crazy about Joice's performance but I do love her top and hat...wow!!


Decorated arms must be my next project. I love the look and the attention it calls to the arm movements of the dancer. Check out Neia's costume.

I'm a little bias but I love Camila's performance. She has grace, style, and amazing footwork. My pick for Musa do Caldeirao!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a video of Evelyn's performance, but I did include a photo of her. She is the official Musa do Carnaval 2012.

Best Carnaval Roles

As Brazilians like to say, New Year's Eve is the first cry of Carnaval. From January until the day of the parade, Canavalescos, Carnaval participants, rehearse, work on tan lines, and get ready for the special day. It is, after all, one of the largest competitions in Rio de Janeiro. The winning samba school not only gets the prestige of being the best samba school in Rio but also a significant cash prize.

But really, what is Carnaval without the amazing costumes? Below are photos of my favorite outfits and roles.

Porta Bandeira and Mestre de Sala. This is one of the most prestigious positions a samba school member can have. PB and MdS have the honor of carrying the school's flag, and unlike other parade members, there is only one male and one female PB and MdS for the whole school. The coveted position is often passed down from generation to generation, staying within the family for years.

Madrinha da Bateria (Godmother of the Band). The MdB holds one of the most glamorous positions in a samba school. Throughout the parade, she marches down the Sambodromo, the designated parade street, in front of the band. Her job, in addition to looking fab, is to excite the crown and dance her ass off. Since all eyes are on her, the pressure is on to look amazing in ever way.

Baianas. I love the role of the baianas. Normally, B are older women who have been members of the samba school for years. They are dedicated members who, behind the scenes, do most of the sewing and costume making for other members. Though the costumes are typically long skirts, each year, costume designer incorporate new designs, colors, and accessories that make the costume beautiful and glamorous.

Globeleza. Yeas ago, Globo, Brazil's top television network, began hosting competitions in search of someone who would serve as the face of Carnaval. For 10 years, Valeria Valencia held the position. Today, Globo hosts a yearly competition to find the right woman. She, in nothing but body paint, appears in commercials that promote the parade and remind me why I need to eat more brown rice and broccoli.

Samba Styles

Good friends, aging, and samba moves are like good wine. It doesn't get old; it gets better.

This week Lea Nouch is coming to visit from Africa! She not only is a great friend but also an amazing dancer. Her fusion of Cuban salsa and samba gives her dance moves a style I have never seen before. Really, when she dances, I have to stop and watch--in part because she is so damn good and in part because I try to see which moves I can steal : ) .

Thinking about Lea and her samba fusion got me thinking of other samba styles. Unbeknown to many, samba is not just a 1 and 2 count. It, as with any great style of dance, has a variety of styles that incorporate cultural and regional norms.

Here are a few videos of the many style of samba:

Samba de Roda:
I often connect this style of samba with capoeira and Bahia. From my observations and conversations with fellow dancers, I have noticed that Samba de Roda dancers appear grounded when performing. They incorporate more shoulder movements and the samba step is more open and out when compared to Rio style samba.

Axe samba:
This is truly a workout! Dancers mix samba steps with a variety of choreographed moves. Since the moves are specific to the song, it's difficult to count or transfer moves from one song to the next. But this is one of my favorite style of samba (Note that I say samba but dancers do very little of the move. It's really about the choreography and how cute you look while doing it :).

Pagode:
Ops, Axe is great but I love pagode. By far, this is my favorite style of samba since it's both a solo and couple dance. Dancers use their hips, feet, arms, and head to give the move a charming and involved look.

Rio:
I call Rio style samba the Barbie and Speedy Gonzales dance. From waist up, dancers are to look regal, fabulous, and charismatic (Barbie). From waist down, dancers are to move like a bat out of hell. With this style, the samba step is closer together but the knees open as the dancer steps back. Heels are a must!

Charismatic Samba:
In actuality, this is a version of the Rio style samba. Dancers use the traditional bikini with feather costume but little footwork is done. The focus is on the charm that comes from soft turns, arm movements, and dramatic pauses. To achieve this style, the right song is a must!

Over the year, I have performed a little of all sambas. I'm confident with some but need work on others, as with all dancers. But one thing is for sure, when I dance, regardless of the samba style, the music takes over and I enjoy every minute of it.