Carnaval hits B-town

Carnaval may have just ended in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but here in Bloomington things are about to get hot. \nThe Brazilian Student Association at IU is hosting its own Carnaval tonight at Vertigo, 107 W. Ninth St. It will be packed full of exotic eye candy, Brazilian music and non-stop dancing. For the BAIU, the Carnaval is one of the most anticipated events of the year. One of the many coordinators of the event Vania de Castro, Spanish and Portuguese professor, says this year the Carnaval is special.\n"It is special this year, with live music and in a different place from years before," she said.\nIn the past, the celebration was usually held at Second Story, but this year the change of venue is more suitable for the event.\n"It usually lasts until closing," said Culata Band member and Italian instructor Valeria De Castro. "Second story closed at 2 and Vertigo closes at 3 a.m."\nThere will be a big screen TV showing the two-day parade in Rio de Janeiro. The parade is one of the most popular carnaval events in Brazil. This is the second time since the Bloomington celebration began that live music will be available at the event.\n"The live music and band practicing all the time gave us the incentive to plan for the event this year," De Castro said. "It's hard to find people to play live Brazilian music, so to have a live band is exciting."\nThe live band she is talking about is the Culata Band, made up of several professors and students of both Brazilian and U.S. descent. De Castro said the live band adds something special to this year's event.\n"We did not have carnaval for the first time in 12 years last year," De Castro said. "This time we had to come back with a bang."\nThe Culata Band consists of eight members and will be playing a wide range of Brazilian music. They will be playing Frevo, Samba, Samba reggae, Xote, marcha-naucho and Baiao.\nVania Castro said she appreciates the live Brazilian music.\n"Live music gives it a better taste," she said. "It is nice to see a mixture of American and Brazilian people making music."\nFor many of the band members, it is their first time playing for a carnaval. \nMaria Christina Eisen, an IU senior and band member said she is excited. \n"It is the biggest thing I've ever done," she said. \nBecause of her diverse background -- she's half Jewish and half Brazilian, she grew up listening to the kind of music she now plays.\nCastro, along with other band members, is expecting a big crowd. Everyone hopes to match the high attendance in the past.\n"Every year we have between 200 and 400 people," Valeria De Castro said. "One year, we had over 600."\nThe organizers expect people from Wisconsin, Chicago and Indianapolis to travel to Bloomington for the event. The crowd is usually mixed with many Latinos, but also includes a lot of Americans.\n"A lot of Americans like this kind of party," De Castro said.\nThis is a great opportunity to meet new people, or to get to know people, Castro said.\n"You always make a link," she said. "It is a great time and everyone is relaxed. It is a good time to become closer to people you know."\nCastro also encourages people to wear costumes.\n"We usually wear costumes," she said. "Some Brazilians do so for tradition."\nCarnaval costumes are usually flamboyant and include political costumes, funny costumes, sexy costumes and skeletons.\n"They are not like Halloween costumes," Castro said. "In Brazil, the costumes are very political; if it were here, you would see 300 Bush's running around."\nThe costumes are usually masked with a lot of glitter and feathers for women. Men's costumes include brightly colored soccer club shirts and face paint. If people don't have costumes, Castro encourages people to wear something bright or yellow.\n"It is very common for men to dress as women and women to dress as men," Castro said.\nAlong with the celebration tonight, the BAIU will also host a children's carnaval Sunday. The carnival will include Brazilian games, music and activities for kids.\nThe event starts at 10 p.m with the showing of the actual Rio de Janeiro Carnaval video. The Culata band plays at 11 p.m. Admission is for those over 21 and $7 with a valid ID. For more information, call 360-0049.