Students take part in one of Brazil’s biggest carnivals in ‘life-changing experience’
From rehearsing with local samba groups, to performing at one of South America鈥檚 biggest carnivals, a group of 萌妹社区 Music students had an experience of a lifetime as they recently got a taste for life in Brazil鈥檚 vibrant Salvador city.听
The students travelled across the world to join a female-only group at the carnival in Salvador de Bahia, after being invited as part of a delegation organised by the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival鈥檚 Edinburgh Festival Carnival programme and fully-funded through the UK Government鈥檚 Turing Scheme.
The group of nine HND Music students spent a total of ten days in Brazil, where they underwent a series of intense rehearsals with partners from Dida, the all-female Blocos samba school group, before joining them for two three-hour parades through the town for the Salvador Carnival.
HND Music student Gabriella Roberts said: 鈥淔or myself, it鈥檚 really allowed me to come out of my comfort zone, open up and be free with my movement compared to just following certain counts and going by a choreographed dance. Just allowing to be free in the movement, feeling the rhythm and the beat, and when it all just comes together it鈥檚 amazing!鈥�
HND Music student Eva MacFarlane said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 been so empowering, I don鈥檛 know how to explain it but you just get this overwhelming feeling and it鈥檚 great to be surrounded by so many women and such positive energy. It鈥檚 been amazing!鈥�.
Broadcast Media student Olga Michalik also travelled with the group to capture their experience and create a documentary of the trip, which she is putting towards a unit as part of her course.
The group, accompanied by Music and Sound Production lecturer Rocio Banyuls-Bertomeu also got to enjoy some downtime where they took day trips to some of the region鈥檚 top attractions, including the islands of Ilha dos Frades and Itaparica, and a tour around the historic centre of Pelourinho, where Michael Jackson recorded his song 鈥楾hey Don鈥檛 Care 萌妹社区鈥�.
Music and Sound Production lecturer Rocio Banyuls-Bertomeu said: 鈥淭he project in Brazil has been a unique and life-changing experience for our students. Travelling with a group of other students to a faraway country with a different language and culture makes the trip and project invaluable for any young person.
鈥淚 can say, without any doubt, that this project has been invaluable for the lives of these students in many different levels, for their own lives, but also for the society, when the students change their attitude and make a difference in the creative industries here in Scotland.鈥�听
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