Ilê Ayê, created in 1974, during the military dictatorship, was the first bloco afro (afro-centric carnival club) of the post-war era, and seminal in the subsequent aesthetic Africanization of Bahian carnival culture. Prior to carnival, Ilê has a special "Black is Beautiful" evening (Noite da Beleza Negra). The annual Queen is chosen from a set of 12-16 finalists. Each finalist wears a specially created outfit and dances. The name Ilê Ayê is from *Yorubá and *Candomblé, and means something like "our house in this world".
Picture 07 "Deusa Mu-dança / "mexeu"
The dance style is derived from African dance steps but is highly
stylized. It is fluid, individualistic and regenerative (no clear
beginning or ending) - sustainable for hours, as is necessary during the
carnival parade. The camera follows the movement of the dance - a
fraction behind!
Title tip: The famous Afro-Brazilian singer Gilberto
Gil has an album called "O Deus Mudança" - making a pun between two
meanings: "The God, Mu, dances" and "the god of change".
Picture 08 "Dance-Smile" / "Quem inventou o Brasil foi" Apart from the grace of the dance steps, this picture tries to capture two qualities - the exhilaration of the spectacle of the dance, and the dancer's smile. While we wouldn't dare interpret its deeper meaning, the African smile is preserved amongst African Americans and Afro-Brazilians as a typical gesture of pleasure within performance.
Picture 09 Princesses of Ilê Ayê / "rainhazinhas"Several finalists in the competition to be Queen (Rainha do Ilê Ayê) including the winner, in the foreground to the right. There are no set rules for the hairdo. The costume, also an original creation for the occasion, integrates traditional elements, such as the cowrie shells used for divination in the Afro-Brazilian religion, *Candomblé. New ideas and traditional motifs are mixed in a conceptual collage.
