Posted by Rachel
For today’s interactive feature, the question is: who is your favorite Brazilian author?
Even though most Americans and Europeans are most familiar with Latin American authors like Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende, Brazil has produced quite a few world class novelists, poets, and playwrights that have not received the international acclaim they deserve.
Though Paulo Coelho is Brazil’s best known author outside of Brazil, my favorite Brazilian author is Jorge Amado. I also love Machado de Assis, but I find Amado’s writing slightly less challenging to read, and I really feel like I am transported to another place and time. Bahia is one of my favorite parts of Brazil, and most of his work takes places there. He also really captures the soul of Brazil and manages to celebrate and decry the country’s accomplishments and challenges.
What about you?
Posted by Rachel
Fernando Meirelles was born on November 5, 1955 in the city of São Paulo. The child of a doctor, he had the opportunity to travel and to be exposed to different cultures. He attended the University of São Paulo and majored in architecture, but began experimenting with film. 
When he graduated, he joined with friends to create a production company, called Olhar Eletronico, which produced TV shows. When the company closed, he began working as an ad director, and became a partner in O2 Filmes, one of the largest ad companies in Brazil.
But Meirelles’ big break came in 2002, when he decided to adapt the book “City of God” into a movie, which became an international hit and earned him an Oscar nomination as best director. In 2005, he directed “The Constant Gardener,” a film starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, which received several Golden Globe nominations and four Oscar nominations. He most recently directed “Blindness,” released in 2008, which stars Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo, and was featured at the Cannes Film Festival. Meirelles also produced several popular Brazilian films including “Cidade dos Homens” in 2007 and “O ano que meus pais sairam de ferias” in 2006.
He’s currently working as executive producer on “Extraordinary Garbage,” a film about Brazilian artist Vik Muniz, which is currently in post-production.
Posted by Rachel
Today we’re starting a new series about Brazilian dance forms.
Forró is a type of dance that originated in the Northeast of Brazil, and is also known as arrasta-pé, bate-chinela, fobó, and forrobodó. Danced to the music of the same name, the movements have a variety of influences: indigenous ritual dances, traditional Dutch and Portuguese rhythms, German folk dance, and African hip movements. The dance is frequently peformed at parties and festivals in the Northeast. It is the centerpiece of the São João Festival in particular.
The origin of the name forró is disputed. Historians say that it comes from the Portuguese word forrobodó, which means confusion and disorder. The popular version of the story says that the name came from the English engineers living in Pernambuco in the early 20th century. During that time, the English would give parties with banners stating the festivities were “for all,” and these English words morphed into the Portuguese word forró.
Forró dance comes in two types: forró nordestino and forró universitário. Northern forró is more sensual, with a closer proximity between the partners and more body contact. University forró is more like salsa, with spins, quicker, larger movements, and constantly shifting proximity between the partners.
Check out forró in these two videos, here and here.
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