A special treat for all of you capital of culture lovelies: A big night of sparkles, samba, live drumming, fiery dancers, and DJs in Liverpool’s own Rio-style carnival party! Chase the wintery blues away and get some copacabana crazy in Liverpool’s best night out!

A change from their regular venue of the New Picket, the Liverpool Samba School will be shimmying  over to the fabulous Latin Quarter this Saturday to bring you their spectacular Carnival club night! A hop and a skip from Hardman St and Renshaw St, is the fabulous El rincon Latino bar, (you can see it from upstairs in the glass atrium at Hannah’s bar, Hardman St) where you can enjoy a big night of Brasilian beats, live drummers, and samba moves –from 10pm til 3am.

To make the experience all the more authentic, Bar El rincon Latino has a delicious range of Havana based cocktails and many others to get you in the mood to “bailer”!

With an Ecuadorian head chef, the El rincon restaurant also serves a good selection of  tasty South American treats (£3 - £4.50): from Chorizo Frito al Vino (spicy chorizo sausage fried in wine with spicy potatoes, yum); to Tortilla Espanola (spanish omelette); to simply Perro Caliente (latin-style hotdog); and Pollo Picante {spicy chicken tortilla). Not forgetting Empanadas Chilenas de queso (…they’re Chilean cheese pasties, love!)

Prizes for correct pronunciation*

Doesn’t matter what you wear, get dolled up or not, you’ll be surrounded by huge Brasilian costumes anyway, so mingling is a laff! …just smile your head off and keep dancing! You won’t be able to help yourself!

So now you know what’s going on, and where it is, all you need to do is come along and the Liverpool Samba School will transport you to the warmth of South America for one glorious evening. Cheaper than a plane ticket, chicos!

Obrigada, Soraya x

for more info pls email: rogerconga@aol.com / sorayacita@yahoo.es

*prizes / peer admiration. same thing.

Liverpool samba school’s carnival nights come to Fran and Freddy’s new venue, El Rincon Latino in Roscoe St, Liverpool this month.

Samba school plays at Late at Tate

Roll up roll up, just when you thought the world famous Klimt exhibition showing at Tate Liverpool couldn’t get any more decadent, more sparkling, more vibrant… Liverpool Samba School brings the bling at a specially commissioned performance at Late at Tate, for ‘Gustav Klimt: Painting, Design and Modern Life in Vienna 1900′

Tate and the Liverpool Samba School are perfect partners for the night, bringing together the highly acclaimed exhibition revivifying the spirit of the era in which Klimt lived and worked, and the colour glitz and abandon of the Rio Carnaval.

‘Late at Tate’ is a special concept new on the cultural scene of Liverpool, bringing curators and academics, artists, musicians and performers in combined creative energy together around a visual arts show. With a chance to take in an exhibition after hours, dine, meet up with friends, and enjoy spectacular performances and thought provoking discussions in a world class setting, its a concept worthy of European Capital of Culture.

If you haven’t managed to battle the crowds for your ticket to the Klimt exhibition yet, take this opportunity to explore the show which seeks to give context to the exquisite works on display with artifacts from the era. Late at Tate adds a contemporary twist to the proceedings, animating the building with an eclectic and inspired selection of commissioned performers.

Don’t miss the tour led by Tobias Natter (renowned author and co-curator of the exhibition), focusing on Klimt’s golden period. Take in the interdisciplinary salon on art and architecture with experts Professors Peter Vergo, Pamela Robertson and Alan Crawford on the connections and comparisons between the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain and America and the Wiener Werkstätte in Austria.

With music and extravagant costume specially created to reflect the Klimt show, the Liverpool Samba School band will play visitors into the gallery against the backdrop of the illuminated evening docks. Enjoy dancing away to another animated performance later in the night , and DJ Conrad from Footprints will provide perfect Brasilian bossa, beats and breaks.

Also on offer is a screening of the Klimt biographical film, and a chance to catch a performance from French chanteuse Camille O’Sullivan, who sings the dramatic songs of Jacques Brel, Tom Waits and Nick Cave.

Tate Gallery Liverpool, Albert Dock
Thursday 28th August 2008 6pm -8pm
free admission, charges for salons, tours and talks
http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/late/14814.htm

We have had a great response from people sending in links to their photos and video captured from the spectators’ perspective on the day - please continue to send in your links and we will publish some of them here and on our facebook group Escola de Samba de Liverpool

We have been gathering together some of your videos of Liverpool Samba School on a Youtube playlist and as you can see, you lovely people have been very enthusiastic in recording the Rio style carnival and street party on Saturday!

Especially nice to show off to the world what Liverpool can do, it is also pretty good for us musicians and dancers to see the rest of the carnival parade, as we were caught up in our own sections

We have been very proud to see the parade recorded in your colourful videos and photographs, as wherever people were standing along the city centre route, the energy and enthusiasm was amazing from both performers, and the crowds who gave us such a great response - dancing in the streets, cheering and clapping, a real slice of Rio carnaval in the heart of Liverpool!

This great little video was made by Aniket Parmar.

Coverage from Liverpool Daily Post

Coverage from tonight’s Liverpool Echo:

SAMBA fever swept through Liverpool for the city’s first Brazilian-style carnival.

Thousands of people lined the city’s streets to see the breath-taking costumes and scantily clad dancers.

Performers from Liverpool, Brazil, Holland, Ireland, Germany and Spain made their way from the Arts Centre in Myrtle Street, down Bold Street, Slater Street, Wood Street, Concert Square, Fleet Street, Duke Street and Great George Street, finishing under the Chinese Arch in Chinatown.

Continue reading at he link below:

Samba carnival turns up heat - Liverpool Echo.co.uk

Liverpool city centre carnival

Originally uploaded by petecarr.

Thanks to everyone who turned out to line the streets for the carnival, we will be posting lots of photos and reviews on here, but today its time to nurse drum-induced bruising and have a nap - dancing til 6am in the Picket after party was amazing - Mangueira’s set blew everyone away!
This photo of Simone in her showstopping costume is by Pete Carr.

If you are performing in the Carnival parade on this Saturday, 2nd August, here’s a reminder of the information you’ll need to know.

View Larger Map

Performers- Please meet at Novas Contemporary Urban Centre, this centre will be open from 2pm but everyone must meet there by 6pm at the latest. Novas is open only until 12 midnight, so please ensure all personal and samba school items are removed before this time.

If you are a performer requiring parking, it as advisable to park behind New Bird St. The Echo Arena car park has 24hr access for coaches at a cost of £10 per night.

Help will be needed to decorate the New Picket venue on the day, so anyone wishing to help with this should volunteer at Novas CUC after picking up their costume.

Liverpool Samba School performers - If you are performing in the batería and do not yet have your full costume, you may pick this up at Novas CUC as above. Please wear a white t-shirt and black trousers or leggings (women) to go underneath the sparkly costume trousers. Men please wear a white tshirt and dark grey trousers.

All performers please be responsible for all the costume items and equipment ( drums, beaters, straps etc) you use on Saturday. Information will be given on the day as to where these items are to be stored after the parade.

Floats will be taken to the parade line up at 3pm, Please be on time if you are involved with this.

The parade line up for performers will proceed from Novas CUC to gather in Abercromby Square off Cambridge St, ready for the starting point in Myrtle St.

All samba schools will be given a 15 minute slot to showcase their individual interpretations of samba at the after party at the Picket.  Please do not get changed immediately following the parade until you are informed as to when the slot will be, as your samba school may be on first and should perform in full costume.

All samba performers will be given a wrist band at Novas for free entry to the after party at the New Picket.

If you are from Liverpool Samba School and have any questions, please ring Masha, Lyna or Elaine. If you have mislaid their phone numbers which were given out in practice this week, or that of Jelena (who has offered her place in Chatham St to meet up between 12 and 5), email lizinha at mac dot com. If you are on Facebook, you may also leave questions on the ‘Escola de Samba de Liverpool’ Facebook group page.

Have fun this Saturday, it promises to be an exciting culmination to all the hard work everyone has put in to make this happen! Thanks and see you there!

The Liverpool Capital of Culture Carnival is nearly here! After years of preparation, this Saturday sees 500 costumed performers from Brasil and Europe taking to the streets for a spectacular evening carnival parade, with beautiful dancers, amazing costumes, exciting performances, spectacular displays and and superb floats…

Rio party flyer at the Picket

Starting at 8:30pm from outside the Arts Centre on Myrtle St, the parade will wind its way through Liverpool City Centre then off to the New Picket with it’s specially extended outdoor area, to continue the definitive party of Liverpool’s 08 celebrations!

We are proud to announce the night’s amazing line up includes:

• Legendary Mangueira samba performers direct from Rio
• Performances from 7 samba schools from all over Europe
• Liverpool’s own celebrated No Fakin’ Djs

Doors open at 10pm and the party goes on til dawn…

Tickets are available for £5 on the door at the New Picket or from Ticketweb

A Facebook event [http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=26386884280] has been created so you can easily invite all your contacts to join you for an unforgettable night of dancing and spectacle in true Brasilian fashion. See you in Rio - I mean Liverpool, on Saturday!

View Larger Map

The parade on Saturday 2nd August will begin in Myrtle St at 8:30pm and end at the Chinese Arch, Duke St. The Rio style party then starts at the New Picket, New Bird St, doors open from 10pm