This past weekend board members Lindsay Fullerton and Matthew Rarey attended the Brazilian International Press Awards on behalf of Evanston Escola de Samba, which was named “Best Cultural Institution.” The awards were held on May 9th at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. The night began when Matt was interviewed live on the Brazilian television network Globo! During the event, we took pictures and live tweeted, and you can see what we wrote on Twitter and Instagram for more detailed coverage.
Carlos Borges, the founder of Focus Brazil and organizer of the awards, introduced the ceremony. Throughout the night there were appearances by a range of TV personalities and even the Brazilian Consul in Miami. There were over 20 categories or awards including best male and female singers, best event, best theater production, best visual artist, beat athlete and many more.
The awards were announced in groups, in between which were performances by musical artists who also won awards. Each of these artists performed songs in tribute to acclaimed Axé singer Daniela Mercury, who sat in the front row throughout the ceremony.
Matt accepted EEDS’ award for “Best Cultural Institution,” (in Portuguese) and stressed the importance of arts education. The two special awards of the night, and the last to be announced, were for Lifetime Achievement awards for actor Tony Ramos and Daniela Mercury.
These two lifetime achievement awards were at the end, and were highly anticipated. Daniela Mercury even performed a small concert after accepting her award, which was a nice surprise. Finally, all of the winners went up on stage and joined Daniela Mercury in singing the Brazilian National Anthem. We are so happy that representatives from EEDS were able to accept this honor in person. Thank you to the Brazilian International Press for recognizing us with this honor!
EEDS is going to Miami!
Big News – 2 EEDS board members will be going to Miami this weekend to accept EEDS’ 2015 International Brazilian Press Award for “Best Cultural Organization” in the US. The Ceremony is going to be held at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. This is a big accomplishment for our organization, so thank you all for being a part of it! Pictures and updates to follow the event! Come to class this Wednesday at the SRBCC, 4048 W. Armitage – (Drop in class is $12) to give us a sendoff!
EEDS Percussion classes will be held every Wednesday
That’s right – after a successful Carnaval, and an awesome workshop with Dana Monteiro of Harlem Samba, our next session of EEDS percussion classes is about to begin. This time we are doing things a bit differently. Instead of breaking up into sessions, we will be having classes every Wednesday from now until July 4th!
Dates: Every Wednesday (unless otherwise noted)
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Location: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4048 W Armitage, Chicago
Instructor: Reed Flygt
Description: In this class, students will learn Rio-style percussion techniques and patterns in preparation for our major 4th of July Parade. Every week is a drop in – so join us as often as you can. Instruments will be provided! All levels welcome!
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Location: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4048 W Armitage, Chicago
Instructor: Reed Flygt
Description: In this class, students will learn Rio-style percussion techniques and patterns in preparation for our major 4th of July Parade. Every week is a drop in – so join us as often as you can. Instruments will be provided! All levels welcome!
If you have any questions contact Reed Flygt (reedflygt@gmail.com).
Cost:
$12 per class OR buy 10 classes for $100 and get a class card that will be marked for each class you take. Pay by cash, check or by credit card on our Paypal Donation Page. If you buy a class card, you will receive it on the first day of class.
$12 per class OR buy 10 classes for $100 and get a class card that will be marked for each class you take. Pay by cash, check or by credit card on our Paypal Donation Page. If you buy a class card, you will receive it on the first day of class.
Percussion Workshop with Harlem Samba director Dana Monteiro April 8th
EEDS is very happy to be hosting a samba percussion workshop with Harlem Samba director Dana Monteiro. Mr. Monteiro has fourteen years teaching experience in the New York Public School system and is a doctoral candidate in Music Education at Boston University.
The workshop will be open to all and instruments will be provided. Come join us! More info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/831692953589775/
When: 7-9 PM Wednesday, April 8th
Where: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (4048 W. Armitage)
How much: $15 cash or check
Check out some more of the Harlem Samba repertoire here:
Thanks for a great 2015 EEDS Carnaval!
Another Carnaval for the record books! We hope you had as much fun as we did. Thanks to all of our wonderful performers who helped make the night so special!
- Mestre Jorge Alabê – thank you for sharing your time and talent
- International Capoeira Angola Foundation
- Contemporary Music Project
- Dill Costa and passistas: Trish Carolan, Uyshica Brown, Erica Johnson, Tania Daley, and Jean Fitzgerald
- Dance lessons and performances by Ariel Barbick, Etienne Montanez and Cristina Grieco
- American Association of Brazilian Candomblé and Culture
- Bateria Quilombola
- EEDS Bateria
- Bloco Maximo
- Oloboom
We also wanted to thank our wonderful sponsors, who generously donated their goods and services to EEDS:
We were also lucky enough to have delicious Brazilian food sold by Taste of Brasil and beer from Sketchbook Brewing Company. A big thanks also goes out to all of the wonderful volunteers who helped make the event run smoothly, as well as the tireless efforts of the EEDS leadership and board. We hope this Carnaval event becomes a part of your yearly tradition. We had a great time singing, dancing and celebrating with you all. See you all soon!
EEDS Wins Brazilian International Press Award for best cultural institution
In February, we learned we were one of five finalists for the 2015 Brazilian International Press Awards in the category of Cultural Institution, which was selected by popular vote. After the finalists were picked, judges then selected the winners in each category. We have just been informed that we have been selected as the winner of best Cultural Institution by the Brazilian Press, from a pool of nominees all across the US! We are truly honored! We are excited that EEDS is being recognized for its efforts, and we hope to continue promoting Brazilian culture and music in years to come. The award will be presented on May 9 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Help us celebrate our win at our big Carnaval event on Saturday, March 28th at SRBCC!
Carnaval Percussion Workshops with Mestre Jorge Alabê
As a special treat this Carnaval season we have a very special guest – master Brazilian percussionist Jorge Alabê! Not only will he be making an appearance at our main Carnaval event on Saturday March 28th – he will be holding two percussion workshops with EEDS the week before Carnaval: Wednesday the 25th and Friday the 27th! This is a rare opportunity to learn from one of the best Brazilian percussionists in the US. You don’t have to be an EEDS member or student to attend class, and you don’t need to attend both classes. Instruments will be provided, and all levels are welcome, though the lesson will be geared to those with at least some experience.
EEDS Jorge Alabê Carnaval Workshops:
Wednesday March 25th and
Friday, March 27th
Location: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center. 4048 W. Armitage, Chicago, IL
Both classes 7-9 pm
$20 for each class ($40 for both) – cash or check accepted
More Jorge Alabê Workshops!
Be sure to check out Jorge Alabê’s workshops earlier in the week: “Drums of The Orixa” (dance, song and drumming workshop)
When: Mon, March 23, 6:30pm – Tue, March 24, 8:00pm
Where: Dance Center of Colombia College 1306 South Michigan Avenue. (map)
Description Platform for the exposure and exploration of authentic Candomblé w/with mestre drummer Jorge Alabe do Xango.
Advance tickets: $40 for both days Or $25 per day. Please note: Participants must bring their own conga and drum sticks to class. To register please call 312-545-5034.
EEDS Dance Workshop at Northwestern
This week, EEDS Dance Instructor Ariel Barbick and friends of EEDS, Edilson Lima and Cristina Grieco gave a samba dance workshop for Northwestern’s Ballroom Latin and Swing Team. As you can see, a great time was had by all, and Ariel, Edilson and Cristina really shared the Carnaval spirit. What a great way to get in the spirit for our 2015 Carnaval event on Saturday March 28!
Almost Time for EEDS Carnaval 2015
Evanston Escola de Samba presents CARNAVAL 2015, on Saturday March 28th. This event brings together the finest Brazilian groups from Chicago and beyond for a night of high-energy Brazilian percussion, dancing, and excitement! Food and drinks will also be for sale from Taste of Brasil Cafe. This is an ALL AGES event.
When: 6 PM to Midnight, Saturday, March 28th
Tickets: $15 for adults, $10 for kids 7-12, 6 and under free.
Cash only at the door, or credit card/Paypal online here: https://sites.google.com/site/eedssummer/carnavaltickets
Where: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center 4048 W. Armitage, Chicago, IL
Featuring:
- Brazilian Master Percussionist Jorge Alabê
- Carnaval Dancers and Lessons
- Bloco Maximo
- The International Capoeira Angola Foundation
- The Evanston Escola de Samba Bateria
- The Contemporary Music Project
- Bateria Quilombola
- Oloboom
- Pagode
- ….And even more to be announced!
Performance at Romona International Festival
EEDS is taking our show on the road again. On March 1st we had a very fun and successful workshop and performance at the Romona International Festival at Romona Elementary School in Wilmette. I think we may have inspired some future sambista! If you want to see what we are all about, don’t forget to come to the main event, EEDS Carnaval.
Second City Samba 