There will be many tributes to the one who so rocked decades of carnivals. The figure, the legacy and the songs performed by Gal Costa are themes of the parades of new and traditional street blocks in São Paulo this year, such as Acadêmicos do Baixo Augusta, Tarado Ni Você and Bloco Pagu, months after the artist’s death, in November, aged 77. The revelry in São Paulo will also feature the premiere of a block entirely dedicated to the artist’s career, Gal total.
“It will be a celebration, a very diverse block. It has the figure of Gal in all the layers she represents and can represent, as a woman, mother, who always took a stand, who made an aesthetic revolution back there”, describes singer Zulaiê Silva, 34 years old, one of the creators of the group and known by the stage name Zu Laiê. “People like Gal don’t die. Even alive, they were already immortal.”
Zu Laiê says that he missed a parade dedicated entirely to the singer at the São Paulo carnival, as with other great names in Brazilian music, such as Caetano Veloso (bloco Tarado Ni Você), Gilberto Gil (Filhos de Gil), Maria Bethânia (Explode Coração ) and others. “There has to be Gal’s. It was a move that converged. Even if she hadn’t switched to the other plan, we would have done it the same way.”
The block is led by four female artists (the others are Ellen Nicole, Marcela Corano and Ananda Macedo), some of them with a strong presence of songs performed by Gal in their own show repertoires. The proposal is to honor the complexity of the honoree’s trajectory, “in history, culture, society, memory and affections”, with songs ranging from the 1960s to the last years of her career.
Repertoire
In the show’s repertoire, Brasil, Aquarela do Brasil and Miami Maculelê, among others, are confirmed, most of the songs known to the public. The parade will take place on the pre-carnival Sunday, February 12, around Praça Elis Regina, in Butantã, west zone.
The expectation is from 500 to 1,000 people, with a profile aimed at families and without the intention of attracting crowds. There will be an exclusive space for reveling children, with rugs and toys.
Gal was also chosen as the annual theme for the parade of some of the biggest blocks in São Paulo. She will be remembered in the repertoire, with reinterpretations in carnival rhythms, and in the aesthetics of the processions, with colors and images that refer to the artist. The celebrations will begin on the pre-carnival weekend.
“Gal has an important part of her career that has a lot to do with Carnaval”, says musician Wilson Simoninha, musical director and one of the founders of Acadêmicos do Baixo Augusta.
The tribute to the artist will also be performed by singers Céu, Marina Sena and Tulipa Ruiz and actress Sophie Charlotte, who plays the artist in the film Meu Nome É Gal, to be released this year. Scheduled for February 12 and with the expectation of more than 1 million people, the parade will have more special participation, such as Olodum.
CarnaVrah
In addition to Gal ToTal, another newcomer that will celebrate Gal Costa’s legacy will be CarnaVrah. “There will be a moment of homage, of playing only Gal’s carnival songs”, comments actor Fernando Cabral, 32 years old, one of the founders of the block, linked to musical theater and cinema artists. The parade takes place on Saturday, the 18th, in Butantã, west of São Paulo. Up to 2,000 revelers are expected.
The information is from the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.