Category Archives: Countdown

Countdown to July 4th: All about the parade, and the first teaser photo

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Only 6 days until the 4th of July, and Evanston Escola de Samba’s 4th of July Spectacular! Our percussionists, dancers, friends, and volunteers have been working especially hard this year, and the result is going to be amazing. Here are the final details of the parade:

What: Evanston Escola de Samba’s 4th of July Spectacular
Where: The parade marches east from Central Park Avenue East on Central Street in Evanston to Ashland Avenue. More info on the parade route here.
When: The parade starts at 2PM (if you are participating in the parade you have an earlier call time)
Who’s Invited: Everyone! There’s still time to join the event as either a volunteer or as part of the parade (more info here). We now have a Facebook event page – RSVP if you are going to attend! We’d love to see you there.

As part of our countdown tradition, we will be revealing a series of teaser pics, each day leading up to the parade,  to give you a sample of what’s in store.

EEDS 4th of July teaser photo #1:

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Countdown to July 4th: Learn our Samba Enredo, “O Amanhã (Tomorrow)”

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Only 8 days until the 4th of July! Our parade is going to be the biggest and best it has ever been, so why not prep for the parade and learn our official song? Our 2013 Samba Enredo (Official Parade song) is “O Amanhã (Tomorrow)”, written by the Rio de Janeiro Samba School União da Ilha do Governador in 1978. We love it, and hope you will, too!

Here is a reference video of a subset of EEDS performing the song from 2012. If you would prefer an MP3 of the performance, you can listen to (and download) one on Sound Cloud.

If you want to learn how to sing along, here are lyrics in both Portuguese and English.

Portuguese Lyrics
A cigana leu o meu destino
Eu sonhei
Bola de cristal, Jogo de búzios,
Cartomante
Eu sempre perguntei
O que será o amanhã?
Como vai ser o meu destino?
Já desfolhei o mal-me-quer
Primeiro amor de um menino
E vai chegando o amanhecer
Leio a mensagem zodiacal
E o realejo diz
Que eu serei feliz
Como será o amanhã?
Responda quem puder?
O que irá me acontecer?
O meu destino será como Deus quiser		 English Lyrics
The gypsy read my fate
I dreamed
Crystal ball, Shell-reading,
Fortune-teller
I always asked
What will tomorrow be?
What is going to be my fate?
I already picked the love-me-not
First love of a child
And the dawn is coming
I read the zodiac sign
And the oracle says
That I will be happy
How will tomorrow be?
Who can answer?
What will happen to me?
My fate will be as God likes

Calling all friends, family and neighbors: participate and volunteer!

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VolunteersWanted

Only 10 days to go! The 4th of July is almost here. Even if you can’t register for class – you can still be an integral part of the EEDS 4th of July parade! We have 2 great new ways you can participate:

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First, in the “Ala of friends”:
Do you want to BE IN the parade – but can’t attend class? This option is for you. In the Carnaval Parade in Rio, each Samba Schools has a “Ala of Friends” that marches in the parade with the bateria and dancers. Come show your support for EEDS and join our parade. All participants in this group wear an EEDS T-shirt, white pants/skirt/shorts and walks in the parade!

Cost is $20 donation for the EEDS cotton T-shirt. You can contribute your “Ala of Friends” donation online (we accept Paypal and Credit Cards) 

Second, as a Parade Volunteer
Do you want to help support EEDS and help make the parade great? Are you a photo whiz? Do your friends, family and neighbors want to participate, but don’t know how? Volunteer!

  • 8 volunteers are needed to walk alongside the wings.
  • 2-3 videographers/photographers to record the event.
  • 2 volunteers are needed to distribute our fan handouts alongside the parade route.

Volunteers must attend the July 3rd Technical Rehearsal. Volunteers receive an EEDS cotton T-shirt for their participation!

How to Participate: Please contact Evanston Escola de Samba at evanstonsamba@gmail.com if you are interested in participating, either as a volunteer or as part of the “Ala of friends.” Everyone is welcome! 

Introducing our New Head of Dance: Dill Costa!

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It may be only May, but we are getting ready for the 4th of July. Register for classes now (classes start June 2nd) so you can be a part of the main event. One major part of our 4th of July Parade is its Brazilian Samba dance component, which will be led this year by the inimitable Dill Costa! We are so excited to work with Dill, and we encourage everyone to take EEDS samba dance classes with her this summer.

ImageRaised in Rio de Janeiro, Dill (pronounced ‘Jill’) is an expert in samba dance and performance. As a regular dancer in some of Brazil’s best known Escolas de Samba (Samba ‘Schools’) — groups of hundreds of musicians and dancers in one of the greatest festivals on Earth — Dill represents the authentic Carnaval music that is part of Brazil’s rich musical legacy. She has held many titles in samba schools including ‘Queen of the Percussion Section’.

ImageDill, for 32 years, has participated  in various parades in different Samba Schools in Rio de Janeiro, such as: GRES Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel, GRES Uniao Da Ilha do Governador, GRES. Unidos da Tijuca, GRES. Estacio de Sa. GRES. Unidos do Viradouro, GRES. Beija Flor de Nilopolis, GRES. Unidos de Padre Miguel, GRES. Porto Da Pedra, GRES. Unidos de Vila Isabel, GRES. Paraiso Do Tuiuti, GRES. Resancer de Jacarepagua, GRES. Sao Clemente, among others.

Besides samba, Dill is an expert in jazz, tap, modern, and folk dance of Brazil. She was an instructor of Brazilian regional dance forms for many years.

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Carnaval is Tomorrow! Catch the preview we had on CBS 2 today!

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The day has almost arrived – tomorrow is Carnaval time! We at Evanston Escola de Samba are so excited to share Brazilian music and dance with you! As a preview, we shared some of our music with Vince Gerasole and the CBS-2 Morning News Team today.

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Vince Gerasole Live-Tweeted the event, and there were lots of great videos taken by the CBS 2 team.

Check out more of our performances on CBS2 below. We look forward to seeing you at the Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston at 10 AM tomorrow! The full details of the Carnaval event are available here.

Only 2 Days Until Carnaval: EEDS on CBS 2 News Tomorrow Morning!

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CBS2ChicagoThere are only 2 days until our inaugural Carnaval celebration and we have an exciting announcement to share! For all you early risers – EEDS is going to be appearing on the CBS 2 Chicago TV news broadcast between 4:30 – 7 AM on Friday, February 15th as the featured musical interlude. Don’t forget to set your DVR! Hopefully, we will have a video in the near future for those who are not able to catch the show.

Only 3 Days until Carnaval: Meet Oloboom!

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Only 3 days until Carnaval! Today we are very excited to introduce a great percussion group that will be performing with EEDS at our Carnaval celebration – Oloboom. Here’s how Oloboom describes themselves and their mission:

Lane-Logo2Oloboom (founded in 2011) is a percussion class at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago, IL, under the leadership of Reed Flygt.  We rehearse everyday and do our best to have fun making music in a supportive atmosphere.  Besides Samba, the class also focuses on music from Ghana, West-Africa.  In addition to having fun, we also increase our confidence and proficiency in music through a rigorous traditional curriculum involving weekly playing tests.  We are very excited to perform at our first ever Carnaval Event.

5 Days until Carnaval: Enter Our Raffle – You could win big!

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Only 5 days left to Carnaval! Are you excited yet? For the first time ever we are offering a raffle at our event, where you could win any of the awesome prizes listed below. It is only $2 per ticket, or 3 tickets for $5.
You could win:
  • A Free private dance lesson with Blaze the Floor
  • A Free private or group percussion class with Reed
  • A Free semester of percussion classes with EEDS
  • A Free semester of dance classes with EEDS
  • Other items – t-shirt, bumper sticker, CDs
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7 Days until Carnaval: Be a percussionist for a day

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Image 18_595Only 7 days until Carnaval! Have you always wanted to try percussion but were too nervous to make the leap? EEDS will be having a percussion station at our Carnaval celebration where you will be able to check out and play EEDS bateria (percussion section) instruments: agogo, tamborim, shaker, surdo among others. This is your chance to be a member of our bateria! If you enjoy yourself, consider joining our percussion classes – class sign-ups will be available at Carnaval – all ages and skill levels are welcome. Even though the semester has started, the price will be prorated to only the remaining classes in the semester.