With Labor Day behind us, traffic on the PCH opens up and summer officially grinds to a halt. And yet, not so fast… Here in LA there’s still plenty of heat radiating off both sand and sidewalks. As such I wanted to share something that still preserves a sense of summer warmth with an eye to more dance in public spaces.
Enter the new Passinho dance craze. It has spread through Brazil’s favelas, exploding on YouTube and around the world, and is on full view here with a short dance film for a new soundtrack by music producer Leo Justi. The camera follows a small bevy of smiling, dark skinned boys as they beckon, glide, and flip, with fancy footwork acting as glue to a style blending break, hip hop, samba and more. They are pied pipers of dance, luring mothers and kids out from inside their homes as camera follows along with them down the narrow alley ways.
Soaring in the favela in “Largo o Aco”
Beautifully directed by Julio Secchin, shot by Bernardo Negri, and featuring dancers Sheick and Neguebites dancing to a fabulous track, Largo o Aco emulates a bounty of joy and celebration. And no wonder, like Krump did for kids in South Central, Passinho has made overnight, Internet stars of some of Brazil’s poorest, literally “reshaping the lives of millions of kids whose futures would otherwise have belonged in South American drug cartels”. Alternating between slow motion and real time, this short hits home the infectious energy and joy of the moment that is dance, especially when it’s shared in public.
Passinho is the sound track of Brazil right now, and as it garners endorsement by celebrity platforms it emulates a new path and hope for many young dancers. That’s definitely something worth celebrating.
Enjoy.
