Dance and Travel

Why Cemeteries are so important? They are important because visiting them will help you to know the history of the city and the nature of its people, since they represent the heritage of a place. In this case The Poblenou Cemetery (in Catalán “Cementiri de Poblenou”) is the most ancient cemetery of Barcelona. It is located in Poblenou district in Barcelona and it is an authentic open air museum waiting for a restoration necessary to preserve its artistic and historical richness. Historically it was conceived as a solution to the  unhealthiness of the parish graves present inside the city. It was inaugurated in 1775, but destroyed few years later by the Napoleonic troops. In 1813, it was request to a young Italian architect, Antonio Ginesi, to build the outdoor area. The Neoclassical style reflects the tastes and the political aspiration of the new emerging classes of the city,  the businessman and the  indianas  manufactures. In 1821 it was used in almost its totality, due to a

« Et toi, Marseille, assise aux portes de la France, comme pour accueillir ses hôtes dans tes eaux. » (O Marseille, established at the gateway of France, as if to welcome its guests in your waters) cit. Alphonse de Lamartine Marseille is the second largest city in France, after Paris. Historically was the most important trade center in the region and it is still the France's largest city on the Mediterrean coast and the largest commercial port. Actually for me is more than this, for my it was the door for the Orient, the Near East with its smell and mix languages. A mixture of cultures where Arabs and French coexist together since generations. However, it is not an easy coexistence: in the Sixties the so called “Pieds-noirs” from the former French Algeria come back to France and they had to be integrated in a country new for them, the first city they met was Marseille, most of them decided to stay there. Besides, a lot of Algerians after the Second World War come to

“Quem dança é muito mais feliz” (The one who dances is much more happier) People dancing forro in the Streets of Amsterdam This is actually the biggest truth I have ever experienced in my life. However, I am not referring to any kind of dance, I am referring to a couple dance called Forró , which is intimately link to idea of happiness, good vibes and joy of sharing moments with others. What is forró? It is a Brazilian dance typical of the North-West Region of Brazil.  It is associated to various types of popular North-Western music such as baião, quadrilha, xaxado, which have Portuguese influences.  It is played traditionally by three people a "Sanfoneiro" (the person who plays the "sanfona" which is the accordion), a zabumbeiro (the person who plays “zabumba”, a type of bass drum).  The player wears the drum while standing up and uses both hands while playing) and a musician who plays a metallic triangle (triangulo). The three instruments o