Rio Baile Funk! Favela Rap
Contempted by the Elite, the carioca Funk - born in the favelas and suburbs - conquested all Brazil; Thousands of youngsters risk their life each week to participate in Baile Funk; more than a rhythm and music, the Baile Funk allows for a generation of cariocas to perform a lifestyle, and express their identity statement and shake the traditional relationship between dominant/dominated through the music and lyrics. Bailes are also a unique place for social mix, where the classes are abolished, even if it’s only for one night!
Vincent Rosenblatt´s photographs concentrate specifically on the funk carioca parties (Bailes) that have taken place in the suburban clubs & favelas in and around Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The portfolios portray the key components of Baile Funk culture: the mix of tension & attraction that the danced choreography allows, the invention of the Funkeiro body & fashion, the DJs & MCs, the sound systems and the parties themselves.
Life in the favelas is oftentimes publicized for its violence and crime; theses photographs gives a rarely documented insight into this massive underground culture that has suffered decades of prohibition & discrimination. Bailes are maybe the largest informal social project of Rio, as thousands of families make a living from the money generated by the hundreds of weekly Bailes.
Beyond music & parties, Baile Funk is an identity statement of the Afro-Brazilians & a fight for cultural rights.
Muitas vezes desprezados pela elite, os Bailes Funk constituem o principal espaço para o mix social, atraindo cada fim de semana centenas de milhares de jovens da cidade inteira. Para muitos dos frequentadores, não é apenas diversão.
Mas sim de uma necessidade vital, um direito cultural ou civico, algo pelo qual às vezes até arriscam a vida.
Desde 2005, venho dedicando centenas de noites sem sono ao mergulho nos bailes, no corpo-à-corpo com o povo funkeiro.
Com este ensaio em construção, tento resgatar a memória frágil desses encontros, desejos sublimados em imagens, retrato da juventude carioca do início do século XXI.
© Vincent Rosenblatt / Agência Olhares
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