The Itaúnas Forró Festival (July 19-26, 2009) is a great reason to enjoy the mild winters of Itaúnas, a beach district of Conceição da Barra in Espírito Santo, near the Bahia border.
Forró, a foot-shuffling, sensual couple dancing and music style of the Brazil Northeast, has had roots in Itaúnas since the times of the old village. That's when removal of the area's mangrove vegetation caused local sand dunes to move and bury the whole village between the 1940s and 1970s.
The new Itaúnas, gradually built not far from the moving dunes, saw the growth of the forró culture in the 1980s. Summers and holidays - Réveillon, Carnival - in Itaúnas revolve around beach going and ecotourism - especially in the Itaúnas National Park - during the day and forró through the night.
In 2001, the National Itaúnas Forró Festival (FENFIT) was created. It features the main forró styles danced in Itaúnas - pé-de-serra, more traditional, and college forró, with more elaborate steps, which evolved from the strong presence of São Paulo college students in Itaúnas all-nighters.
The same students have helped make xiboquinha, a signature drink of Itaúnas forró dances, known in other parts of Brazil.
2009 Itaúnas Forró Festival
The festival is also a contest, and winning opens doors to new talents in the Brazil music scene. Go to the festival website for a list of bands in the 2009 FENFIT competition.
Great names of Brazilian forró are invited to the festival. In 2009, Elba Ramalho and Cezinha do Acordeon, Genival Lacerda and Trio Dona Flor, an all-women band who won the 2008 festival, are some of the attractions.
Itaúnas Forró Videos
YouTube is full of Itaúnas forró videos, most of them recorded from the dance floor, often by videomakers who couldn't stop moving to the beat. Dona Zaíra, Trio Chinelo de Dedo and other regulars are all there with their accordions, zabumbas and triangles.
For a better listening experience, visit local boys Chama Chuva on their official website.
Where to Stay in Itaúnas
Itaúnas has several pousadas. Here are a few of them:
