Hi all,

Long time no blog, long time no Polish beer and.... bloody long time no bateria!!
Anyway, an opportunity to see you guys again, so feel free to drop by at any time!!

The address is 7 Minno St in Chapel Hill! And NO GIFT POLICY (we move too often, unsustainable...)

Cheers
Cedric, Stephanie and the kids...

New Australian-Brazil Association - Qld Branch

Should we, as a Samba School, do something big with the new Queensland Australian-Brazil Association ( ABrAsso ) to mark its first year anniversary in 2011 ? Like a Carnival Parade or Brazilian Film Festival .

Below is an email message from Priscilla regarding the New Queensland Australian -Brazil Association:

" . . .Hi guys, How are things going?

Yes, I have disappeared but it is because Josh had a knee surgery and has been walking on crutches. Hopefully next week we will be able to go back to our beloved samba school!

Anyway, this is our new Brazilian Association, Abrasso. I hope we can have you and all Brisamba members as part of our team!

Is it possible to upload this to the Brisamba blog so everyone else can see the message? I wish I could email people individually, but do not have email addresses. :-( .

Maracatu Estrela Brilhante 2010 in Recife

From Batuque Brasileiro's blog .

Thank you

Just a quick thank you to everyone who helped pack tonight after rehearsal - it was a world record and I was actually home just after 10pm for a change!

It looks like the packing instructions on the trailer door work! So once I finished packing up the PA inside, everything was packed! And while I hooked up the trailer (with excellent help from Warren, Darren & Nicki) Brian switched off all the lights in the hall!

Thanks everyone, not everyone knows I also spend about 30 minutes setting up before the rehearsal so I'm pleased when I can leave that quickly too!

Another Saint Mary McKillop's Miracle ?

. . . . More miracles here !

Must watch - Tijuca Comissão de Frente

As some of you know, the Comissão de Frente is the head of a carnaval parade for a samba school, and often there's acrobatics and theatre involved. Well, Tijuca, this year's winners, thought it was time for some magic.

Have a look, and think of it next time you're getting dressed for the day!

Surdo levels

I thought some people might benefit from some 'goals' for various instruments. Here's a first attempt to document the levels for surdo players. Use it to set goals for yourself, or to plan where you want to be X months from now. Note this is not intended as a 'must achieve', the bateria can do with all levels, e.g. there's nothing wrong with someone who stays a 'level 1' surdo player and is able to play a strong 2nd surdo!

Here they are:

• Level 1 - able to maintain a strong rhythm on 1st or 2nd surdo, with little slowing down or speeding up
• Level 2 - able to confidently play the intro of a samba on 1st or 3rd surdo, as well as the most common breaks
• Level 3 - able to confidently play the common 3rd surdo rhythms
• Level 4 - able to play surdo solo, playing both 1st and 2nd surdo patterns, as used at the start of many sambas when there is just surdo, cavaquinho, and vocals
• Level 5 - able to play 3rd surdo improvisations that 'fit' within the context of the song

Each level implies complete mastery of the previous levels.

Comments please - does this help? Are the levels reasonable? If enough people like this I'll do the same for the other instruments!

Mangueira 2010

Surdo Choreography

Remko, Can we - all surdo players - practice the choreography similar to the videoclip linked below ?

Olodum
Olodum Alternative

It shows fearless commitment and dedication to the bloco. Will send shiver to the Roar's opponent.

Maracatu Voodooo Dance

Witch-doctor Brian trying to cure Maracatu possessed sambistas.

Doctor, doctor...

I need a maracatu fix. Gettin' twitchy, here. Haven't seen any swishy skirts or heard any shishy xeqeres in a long long time. How about it? :)