Brazilian Street Carnaval holds Rehearsals at Hothouse Studios


Studio 1 "The Auditorium" at Hothouse Studios

Final rehearsals for the Brazilian Street Carnaval were held yesterday in the auditorium and the studio was overflowing with rhythm and energy.

The drum beats and the dancing is infectious and it spilt over into all the rehearsals here at the studio. Everyone was coming and going with a little dance in their step and telling us what a great rehearsal they had. Positivity is that way.

Join our close friend David de Hilster as he puts on the 13th Annual Brazilian Street Carnaval at the Promenade Downtown Long Beach, Ca on September 19, 2010. Gates open at noon and the event closes at 9pm. This year’s theme is Brasil Moderno.

It’s reasonably priced, it’s all day, there will be two parades, 3pm Rio Style and 5:30pm Tri-Electrio, where everyone can join in. The entire Promenade will be filled with food and cultural booths. A giant stage with have continual music and dance performances. You won’t want to miss this event.

Read the press release below and for detailed info go the Brazilian Street Carnaval web site.




13th Brazilian Street Carnaval Returns to the Downtown Long Beach Promenade September 19, 2010

Long Beach, California, August 18, 2010 – SambaLá Samba School and Contemporanea Drums announce the 13th installment of the Brazilian Street Carnaval taking place on Sunday, September 19, 2010 from noon to 9 pm on the downtown Promenade in Long Beach California. This year's event features a Rio-Style Parade at 3:30 pm, a Trio-Electrico Parade at 5:30 pm, and Brazilian bands, food, and booths all day. Headlining the entertainment for this year's event is SambaLa Samba School, Made in Bahia, Pagode with Cupim. Other groups include Samba 4 U Bloco, Capoeira Centro Sul, Natalia & Daniel, Raiz Brasil Dance Troupe, TMA Music, and Zumba. Proceeds for the event benefit children in Brazil via the charitable organization "Casa do Caminho" located in Rio de Janeiro state. Organizers have rolled back prices to help out in this recession dropping $5 off prices from 2 years ago.

Everyone is invited to parade in one of the two parades that take place on the downtown Promenade in City Place between 5th Street (at Wal-Mart) to Broadway. There is a $10 fee to parade in the Rio-Style parade and costumes are for sale, for rent, or you can wear your own with approval by the parade director. The parade will include 150 dancers, 25 drummers, a float, a sound car, and dozens and dozens of beautiful samba dancers in feathers and bikinis. Costumes are being designed by Long Beach Carnaval Artist Doris de Hilster and choreography by top samba dancer and instructor Valeria Ruggieri, both of who exhibited their skills this year to over 40 million people world-wide in the 2010 Rose Parade in and around the Jack-in-the-Box float.

This year's carnaval theme is "Modern Brazil" (Brasil Moderno) which is features in the Rio-Style parade with the theme song composed and sung by Brazilian Renni Flores with the drum arrangement by Rodney De Assis. The theme song can be found on the internet at song.carnaval.org.

The Trio-Electrico (Bloco) parade requires the purchase the purchase of a T-Shirt along with admission ($25 in total prior to the event, $30 at the gate). Those with the T-Shirt can fall in line behind the sound truck and follow the fun and dance moves. The Bloco T-Shirts were designed by Rio resident Igor Leal who is a carnaval artist and composer living in Rio de Janeiro.

Attendees are invited to bring new small or medium-sized toy for Casa do Caminho charity in Brazil.

General admission is $15 prior, $20 at the gate. Bloco T-shirt admission is $25 prior, and $30 at the gate with VIP all-points passes going for $50 prior and $60 at the gate. There are private tents available for groups of 10 also available at $500 prior to the event. Seniors and students get a $5 discount. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.carnaval.org or by calling 562-508-4504.

For more information call 562-508-4504, email contact@carnaval.org, or visit www.carnaval.org. The Brazilian Street Carnaval takes place on Sunday, September 19, 2010 from noon to 9 pm and will be located at 205 The Promenade North in Long Beach, California 90802.

SambaLa Samba School and Contemporanea hold Drum Workshops with Master Rodney de Assis at Hothouse Studios

SambaLá Samba School and Contemporanea are holding a 12 week Samba Drum Workshop with Brazilian Master Percussionist Rodney de Assis Saturday’s beginning May 8, 2010 through July 31, 2010 from 2 - 4 pm at the Hothouse Studios in Santa Fe Springs California.

Students will learn all the traditional samba instruments including surdo (base drum), caixas (snare drum), repinique, chucalho (shaker), agogo (bells), and tamborim (finger drum).

Rio native, Rodney has played Brazilian percussion professionally for over 30 years in Brazil, Spain, and now in the Los Angeles area. Rodney directed samba school percussion in Spain for 20 years and was recently brought to the Los Angeles area by a talent agency for his world percussion skills. He currently is a full-time professional percussionist for all genres of music. Visit his website http://www.rodneydassis.com/

Additional Benefits You Get:
1. Students can order samba drums from Contemporanea,
2. Audition for the SambaLeza professional group, and
3. Perform with the SambaLa bateria on September 19, 2010 at the 13th annual Brazilian Street Carnaval in Long Beach.

All levels of playing are welcome. Students are encouraged to bring their own samba instruments or can use those provided by Contemporanea.

Classes are held every Saturday starting May 8, 2010 through July 31, 2010 from 2 - 4 pm at the Hothouse Rehearsal Studios, located at 11823 Slauson Avenue, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670.

Cost is $15 per class or $45 for 4 classes.

For more information, call David de Hilster at 562-508-4504, or email contact@sambala.org and visit the website at http://www.sambala.org/.

ABOUT SAMBALA - SambaLa Samba School is a 15-year-old non-profit organization based in Long Beach California and is dedicated to creating a community for those who enjoy the Brazilian culture. They provide samba dance and drum classes, do professional shows, and produce the annual Brazilian Street Carnaval (http://www.carnaval.org). You can visit their website at http://www.sambala.org.

ABOUT CONTEMPORANEA - Contemporanea makes some of the finest Brazilian percussion instruments in the world. Based in Sao Paulo Brazil, Contemporanea will be offering drums in the United States summer 2010.

For an First Rate
Audio - Video - Rehearsal Experience
Go to Hothouse Studios
"Where Music Grows"

Hothouse Rehearsal Studios, 11823 Slauson Ave., Unit 41, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, USA 562.945.1300

SambaLa Samba School
Part of 2010 Jack-in-the-Box Rose Parade Float


I always get this accomplished feeling when I see the acts that rehearse at Hothouse Studios do well for themselves.

For a big example of this and I mean big one, our good friend David de Hilster president of the SambaLa Samba School, a 15-year-old non-profit organization based in Long Beach California, dedicated to creating a community for those who enjoy the Brazilian culture, has been rehearsing 65 participates to parade on and around the 2010 Jack-in-the-Box float for the 121st edition of the Rose Parade on January 1, 2010 in Pasadena California here at Hothouse Studios.

This year's theme for the Jack-in-the-Box float is "Carnival" featuring performers from SambaLa Samba School representing the best of the Brazilian culture to over 40 million TV viewers around the world.

SambaLa Samba School provides samba dance and drum classes, performs at professional shows, and produces the annual Long Beach, California Brazilian Street Carnival and hosting their rehearsals was fabulous. 45 dancers and 20 drummers, you get the picture, now you know why I said big. Near the end of the rehearsal process the whole act got together and ran through a few marching performances out in our parking lot. That was very cool.

One time David said to me "It's a great honor and a huge responsibility to put so much of the Brazilian culture in the most famous parade in the United States, the work involved is at times overwhelming and compares to the work needed to put on a carnival parade in Brazil with the making of new costumes, arranging of the drum corp.’s music, and coming up with choreographies for the parade”.

David would add “But we have a very experienced team and although we will be exhausted come the day after the parade, it will be worth it to show the best Brazil has to offer to millions around the world - it's an once-in-a-lifetime experience".

SambaLa Samba School was chosen specifically for their ability to bring together so many people with so many samba costumes in a short amount of time. The talent director for the Jack-in-the-Box float researched many groups, eventually choosing SambaLa for the job.

The parade will feature new samba costumes by Long Beach designer, Doris de Hilster, choreography by RioBela production's Valeria Ruggieri, and music arrangement by SambaLa Music director David de Hilster. Doris, David, and Valeria make up the directorate of SambaLa Samba School.

Click here for more information about the SambaLa Samba School.

Thank You David and all the dancers and drummers for letting Hothouse Studios be a small part of this is awesome accomplishment of yours.

For an First Rate
Audio Video Rehearsal Experience
Go to Hothouse Studios
"Where Music Grows"

Hothouse Rehearsal Studios, 11823 Slauson Ave., Unit 41, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, USA