Poshdeluxe

every once in a while, i like to do something a little off the posh d. beaten path of movies, sing-alongs and mugshots (ok, and wine-tasting, boat parties, etc.). so, when i heard my friend selina’s samba troop would be performing last friday night, i was all about putting my International Pants on.

apparently, ruta maya (known– to me– as a coffee bar for hippies and slam poets) throws their own version of the brazilian-inspired carnaval every year, around the same time as the massive carnaval blow-out at the palmer event center. a few years ago, josh and i attended carnaval, which turned out to be a bigger, more expensive version of NOD (night of decadence) at wiess college, known for large paper mache sexual organs and lots of nekkedness. the highlights of our night included the discovery of vomit in the port-o-potty (at the early hour of 10 PM, which meant that i refrained from needing to pee for the rest of the night), observing lots of people who appeared to believe that body paint hides beer bellies (NOT TRUE) and a woman who dumped a vat of gold glitter directly on to josh and me, which resulted in me “beautifying” all areas around me for about a week (including my office, henri’s passenger seat and my carpet).

needless to say, i’m never doing that again.

HOWEVER, the ruta maya party promised to be a more enjoyable, less naked, affair. erica and i arrived around 9:15 and spotted selina and her friend, erin, in super cute peacock costumes.

the first act of the night was a steel drum band from mcallum high school. mcallum is an arts magnet, which means they get to do cool stuff like have a steel drum band and they probably win the one act UIL play every year and it’s basically like “fame” and OMG i am so jealous that i didn’t get to go there when i was a teenager.

i mean, i had friends in marching band, and they were great, but a Steel Drum Band? waaaay cooler than marching in formation to a john williams medley, am i wrong?! these kids are basically the val kilmers of the band nerd world.

and they’re called KNIGHTS OF STEEL!!!!! how awesome is that?!!!!

to really get a feel for their adorableness (not to mention their musical prowess), you’ve got to watch these videos that i took (which, btw, made me feel a little pervy, but IT’S ALL IN THE NAME OF BLOGGING).

first, check out this kid who is obviously a freshman and is OBVIOUSLY super precious (he appears near the end, and he’s turning as he plays, because that’s how great he is):

almost all of these kids had the Moves to go along with their sweet sweet music. again, this is so much cooler than performing the high school fight song.

if i went to mcallum, i would totes be a steel band groupie (and yes, they have groupies, and yes they were there, and yes they all look like delia’s models).

erica, selina and i picked the same guy as our favorite member. this guy has got the Skills To Pay The Bills, and you can tell that he feels the rhythm with his entire body (i.e. he can’t stop dancing). in short, I LOVE HIM (again, in a non-pervy way). p.s. when you watch this video, note the older blond lady shaking the maraca. this woman was SO ANNOYING. she spent the entire party walking around either shaking the crap out of the maraca or banging on a tambourine, and if that wasn’t enough, she could NOT keep the beat. at all. as selina put it, “don’t bring yr own music to the show, lady.”

as you can see, Our Favorite Knight of Steel is so professional, he was completely able to ignore No-Rhythm Maraca Pants. that’s how dedicated he is.

next up on the bill was my friend tommy’s (selina’s boyfriend) band, called seu jacinto. which apparently means “mr. jacinto.” i really like that name, cos there just aren’t enough bands with “mr.” in the title (except mister mister, and frankly, i think they’ve paid their musical dues).

these guys play really wonderful, super energetic music, which inspires people to DANCE. and i mean really *dance*, not just shake yr rump or nod yr head a little bit. my favorite dancers were the knights of steel groupies, who you will see in the beginning (and end) of this video.

the sense of excitement and celebration in the air was palatable, which i think is kind of the way carnaval is supposed to be (rather than just an excuse to go out in lingerie and/or socks). even though erica and i were both kinda tired, we couldn’t help but let the brazilian spirit take hold!

after tommy’s band finished, it was time for the samba performance! there are a LOT of people involved (the dancers and the drummers), so they perform on the floor, which means that the crowd has to back up and give them space. and, since this is carnaval, they don’t just have drab old muscley guy bouncers push you back. oh no. they have THIS lady:

STAND BACK AND BEHOLD MY MAJESTY! AND MY BOSOM! seriously, this woman was totally my favorite. she (and the guy behind her) would come around and she would wave the flag and sort of shoo people back, all while looking like the Queen of the Universe. you do not want to mess with her (or her bosom).

the dance performance was totally fun, especially since the dancers were on the floor with us. i really got that crazy, mardi gras feeling from the fast music and drums and all of the girls in their shiny headdresses.

selina was totally the star of the troop, and i’m not just saying that cos i know her. this girl knows how to MOVE.

here’s a video to give you an idea of the gorgeous, exhilarating cacophony of drums, dancing, colors and lights:

doesn’t that feel like you’re in a parade? i love parades!!!!!

by the time selina’s troop was finished, erica and i were EXHAUSTED, even though we weren’t the ones banging on drums or shaking our tailfeathers. i really felt like we had traveled across the globe, but then i was glad we hadn’t, cos i got to go home to my comfy bed.

btw, anyone want to start a steel drum band with me? we could even play on a beach like the real steel drum bands! and maybe wear hawaiian shirts! but i draw the line at dreadlocks. just so you know.

LINKS

in case you were hoping to blow yr brains out with cuteness today, there IS a way that is readily available. it’s a video of flocke, the new polar bear cub, with a mirror in his little crib. OMGGGGGGGG BRAIN EXPLOSION.

oh, you still have parts of yr brain left? then you might want to watch this video of danish children singing their birthday song. and then you’ll ask, why doesn’t the american version including arm-raising and “hooraying”? (thanks, caitlin, for the link).

another improv everywhere feat: freezing in grand central station. i have to admit, this looks really cool. and it’s fun to watch the other people freak out, like, “what happened to these people?!!” it’s sort of like if the rapture happened and you got left behind.

have you guys heard of the bloop? creeeeepy.