Casa Rosa

On Sunday a bunch of us went to Casa Rosa, which is in the neighborhood of Laranjeiras. In English, the name of the place is Pink House, and for good reason. All the walls are painted bright pink, and they’re covered in artistic graffiti, which makes for a unique atmosphere.

Casa Rosa is a pretty interesting place. We went there for a traditional Brazilian meal called feijoada, which consists mostly of rice, beans, and meat. In addition to serving food, however, Casa Rosa is also a club. There were a couple of different dance areas that played different kinds of Brazilian music throughout the night.

At one point there was a live band that I really liked. In addition to the usual keyboard, drums, bass, and guitar, the band also had a saxophone and a trumpet, which gave it a cooler sound. It was almost like Brazilian-style ska, though I think in reality it was a type of samba.

There was also a live samba band playing in an outdoor area between the two regular dance areas. Apparently the roda de samba, as it was called, is the main attraction on Sunday nights at Casa Rosa. I like that these live samba bands are such an integral part of Brazilian culture. It doesn’t really seem like we have anything like them in the US.

At one point in the evening, people started doing capoeira. Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that was developed by slaves, and it’s really cool. Bystanders surround the two fighters in a circle while people play music with a drum, tambourine, and a Brazilian instrument that I don’t know the name of. At Casa Rosa, there was a song that went along with the music that had call-and-response elements to it, so the crowd could participate. Because music is such an integral part of capoeira, it almost seems more like an intricate dance than a martial art.

Capoeira is very low-contact. For the most part, it’s almost as if there were a cushion of air between the two fighters that prevents them from touching each other. This also makes it look more dance-like. The two fighters circle around each other, kicking and ducking, and the more talented ones perform complicated acrobatic moves like one-handed handstands. At times it almost looks like break dancing. They move so fast that it’s hard to take pictures of them when they’re in cool positions. I was surprised to see a woman fighting capoeira at Casa Rosa, since it’s usually a male sport. It seems like so much of Brazilian culture is male-oriented, which is disappointing since I’m a girl.