This Super Bowl Sunday, the Shoreland is hosting “A Samba Night at the Shoreland” in honor of the Brazilian Carnaval season. The event is free and open to students with UCID. The festival, which will be held at the Shoreland Crystal Ballroom, runs from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Geraldo Pilarski, Resident Head of Dewey house and main organizer of the event, said that the reason for throwing this extravaganza was that, “We hardly have events that involve the various dorms. With Carnaval season in Brazil coming up this weekend and the Monday off, it would be good exposure for the students to see a different culture and to celebrate Carnaval in a safe way.”

Among the groups playing that night will be Chicago Samba, an ensemble of native Brazilian musicians and dancers who will be performing authentic Carnaval music such as marcha, axé, frevo, batucada, and of course, samba. They will be using traditional instruments like the surdu, pandeiro, and berimbau.

Bring along a partner to take advantage of the free samba lessons. Also on the program is the University’s own Capoeira group. Traditional Brazilian foods such as feijoada will be served, and students are encouraged to come dressed in their best Carnaval costumes.

There will be Samba Enredo murals painted in honor of the event. “These murals will show the various manifestations of Carnaval in Brazil. While the most famous one is the one in Rio de Janeiro, there are also other places in Brazil where Carnaval is celebrated. In Bahia, there are the colorful traditions of Baianas, and in Pernambuco, there’s Frevo. “We will try to create murals to give the student a sense of the diverse traditions within the tradition of Carnaval,” Pilarski said.

This event is organized by the students and staff of Bradbury, Filbey, and Dewey Houses, and is sponsored by the Chicago Arts Council, Brazil Legal, Kinkos, HARC, the Shoreland Language Commons, and the Resident Masters of the Shoreland, Max Palevsky, Pierce, and Broadview Hall.

—Nancy Lo