The next Brazilian Beauty we will be describing in our Brazilian Carnival Drum Queen series is Gracyanne Barbosa - Drum Queen For Mangueira. Although Gracyanne was not born in Rio, the muse has strong ties with the Brazilian Carnival. In the past, this Brazilian beauty was Drum Queen for another traditional Samba School, Salgueiro. Gracyanne will serve Drums Queen post for the highly disputed Mangueira Samba School for the second term 2009. For the São Paulo Samba School Império da Casa Verde, she acted as Drums Section godmother. Although Gracyanne has a very strong built body, she dances samba very well according to several Carnival experts. The Brazilian dancer has been applauded at Mangueira since she never misses a rehearsal and is always supporting the school in shows and interviews. As we can see, this Brazilian Beauty is having a perfect reign in her Mangueira Drum Queen post!

See below picture of Gracyanne Barbosa for Globo shoot out:




Gracyanne Jacobina Barbosa Short Biography: Gracyanne was born in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul State, in September 1982 . She started her professional carrier as a dancer and became famous after joining a Brazilian musical group called “Tchakabum”. She has posed for several Brazilian men´s magazine, including Brazil Playboy in 2007, Virgula Girl in 2005, and VIP magazine in 2007. Gracyanne will marry this year the famous Brazilian pagode music singer Belo. The 26 year old model works out several hours a days with heavy weights and has a special nutritional routine. She also loves going to the beach and watching soccer matches. The gorgeous Brazilian dancer also has her own new site now at http://www.gracyannebarbosa.com.br/

Good Luck Gracyanne Barbosa!!

See below picture of Gracyanne Barbosa at Mangueira Samba School.

Carnival in Brazil is arriving and Belavista-Rio continues its series about the Special Group Drums Queens. Newcomer Juliane Almeida is the next Drum Queen at the Brazil Carnival we will be describing. Juliane Almeida is 24 years old and was recently elected Drum Queen for Viradouro Samba School, substituting one of Brazil most famous, sensual , and legendary sex icons in Brazil: Juliana Paes. This beautiful Brazilian dancer started participating at the rehearsal of Viradouro Samba School when she was 16 years old. Julana, which is a dancer, has strong ties with the samba community and had previously been elected Carnival Princess of Niterói , where is from. She was also Drums Queen from another samba school in the Rio Carnival called Paraíso do Tuiuti, which is from the Access Group ( 2nd League Samba School) in Rio de Janeiro.

Below the Brazilian Beauty from Viradouro:



Juliane Almeida Short Biography: This amazing “morena” started her professional life as a dancer. She danced ballet since she was a small girl and after many trials was called in to join to dance in a Pagode samba group called “É o Tchan”. With an instant fame credited to her sculptural body, the muse was invited to pose for a Brazilian men´s magazine called “Sexy” last February. Juliane, who is member of a church in Rio, sees no contradiction involving her professional career and her faith. Juliane´s boyfriend is very religious she says, but agrees with all her carnival activities. Juliane works out everyday to keep up her body and samba and now has her new website too! Good Luck Juliane in your new reign at Viradouro Samba School.

Another Picture of the Brazilian Muse Juliane at her relax time:

In Rio, if you think of the Flamengo district, you immediately associate the neighborhood with its famous Flamengo Park that could be considered as one of the historic landmarks of Brazil. The park features gardens designed by well-known Brazilian landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx..Officially named as Eduardo Gomes Park, it has 1.2 million m² of lawns, flowering shrubs and trees is one of the loveliest and most important landscape areas in the city. Its creation is credited to Lota Macedo Soares descendant from an elite family of Rio de Janeiro State.

She did not have a degree in urbanism or architecture but was a pupil of the Brazilian painter Candido Portinari and acquired by herself knowledge of architectural aesthetics and botany. To fill the area with dirt, the Santo Antonio hill, in the center of Rio, was taken down with water jets. The same machine that dredged the Panama Canal took sand from the sea to create Botafogo Beach.. Lota had the idea to illuminate the landfill at night to allow night walks throughout the park. The sports courts were also her idea. They are in use every day and night of the year; by teams of all sorts of associations.



With the support of the Rio de Janeiro governor Carlos Lacerda she summoned a group of distinguished friends, the landscaper Roberto Burle Marx, the botanist Luiz Emigdio de Mello Filho, and the architects Affonso Eduardo Reidy. Sérgio Bernardes and Jorge Moreira. They formed a work group under her leadership. The green carpet that covers this immense area led to many disagreements among the members of the group and also with the urban officials of the time who fought with her about the freeways crossing the park. In the end, she won the argument, as she believed 2 freeways were most suitable for the park. From the rubble came 11.600 trees of 190 species, native and exotic.

Among the 4.400 palm trees of 50 species are the rare “talipot” (Corypha umbraculifera) that flourishes only once during its lifetime and dies right after. Besides being this giant urban park, it has special characteristics, like hosting groups of plants of the same species and the use of Brazilian plants that were not usually employed in landscaping - like the “abricó-macaco” and the “pau-mulato” . The Eduardo Gomes Park has several species that are considered to be “wildlife in Rio de Janeiro and was informally inaugurated on the 12th of October of 1965, Children’s Day in Brazil.

That occasion marked the birth of one of the most popular leisure areas in the wonder city; with 4 all sports courts, soccer fields, playgrounds, an amphitheater and a skate track. There is also a restaurant and kiosks, the Marina da Glória and the Rio Museum of Modern Arts-MAM which we will describe later. The park was merged into the city landscape, and has become surely one of the most famous landmarks of Brazil, like the Sugar Loaf and the Corcovado Mountain.

Below, great shot of Leonardo Martins of World War II monument at the Flamengo Park:



That was Lota’s dream. Running along the shoreline from the Rio´s airport Santos Dumont to Botafogo Bay, the Flameng Park offers a wide array of attractions, including Carmen Miranda Museum, Monument to Estácio de Sá, and several other sculptures and structures all the way to the Marina. An interesting spectacle on the first Sunday of each month is the changing of the guard by all three Armed Forces, at the Monument to World War II Soldiers. On Sundays and holidays, this park is closed to traffic, offering the public numerous recreation options.

Come visit Flamengo Park!

Luiza Brunet is the next Rio Carnival Drum Queen we will describe. Her story as a model can almost be written as the description of the glamorizing process of Rio Carnival Drum Queens, since she has been parading for more than 20 years. In 2009, Luiza Brunet will be the Carnival Drum Queen for Imperatriz Leopoldinense Samba School, one of the most traditional ones in Brazil. Luiza is in reality returning to Imperatriz Samba School since she paraded in that school in 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, and 2001. In all of these years, she had the honor and charisma to help Imperatriz parade as the carnival parade champion. Luiza started her parading at Rio´s carnival as a Drum Queen for the legendary Portela Samba School, where she paraded until 1993. This year, Luiza will also be lending her strong presence to Acadêmicos da Rocinha, as kind of Godmother. She will represent at the Rocinha parade, a great French Madam at the parade opening section. The Samba Theme at Rocinha will be the French influence in Brazil´s history.



Luiza Brunet Short Biography: Model. From the heart of Pantanal, more precisely at a humble blockhouse surrounded by an exuberant and wild nature, was born Luiza Brunet, on May 24, 1962. Daughter of Luiz da Silva, a farmer from the Brazilian northeastern state of Ceará, and Alzira Botelho da Silva, a homemaker from Rio de Janeiro, She had a very poor but happy childhood. Then she was a packer at a tissue factory. Beauty, at the time, was a problem for her. She had to switch jobs to get rid of her boss' harassment and went to work at a boutique. She started modeling by chance, right after the wedding. At the time, photographer Nilton Ricardo was charmed by the brunette's beauty and invited her to shoot a book. From that day on, Luiza's career took off.

Good Luck Luiza in 2009 at your Imperatriz Parade!

Brazilian Playboy magazine announced today the Rio de Janeiro 2009 Carnival Queen Jessica Maia will be its new cover girl. This Brazilian Beauty, considered by many as the national version of Beyoncé, is 25 years old and from the traditional Portela Samba School. The news caused a bit of surprise within Rio´s Carnival world, since it will be the first time a Rio Carnival Queen was invited to pose and star in the cover of the prestigious magazine.



The photo shooting took place at Rio´s Samba City, more specifically at Portela´s barracão ( Big Shed ) where Rio de Janeiro´s carnival is actually constructed. Jéssica Maia, who is a samba dance teacher and model, will return to Panamá after the Brazilian Carnival is over.

Jéssica was crowned together with Shayene Cesario , Charlene Costa, and Momo King Milton Júnior on a Carnival contest promoted by Rio´s tourism body RIOTUR.

See below the picture of Jessica Maia, Shayene and Livia Moura on the 2009 Rio Carnival Queen Contest.

Do you know Brazil has a specific day for celebrating one of most popular passion? Yes, it´s true! Brazil celebrated last December 1st the National Samba Day- “Dia Nacional do Samba”. The National Samba Day is part of a giant initiative promoted by several artists, musicians, cultural producers, intellectuals and carnival entrepreneurs in order to protect and perpetuate this unique musical rhythm. Samba Schools are also supporting this beautiful project, since the samba is one of the true origins of the great Carnival done in Brazil.

Below a samba cartoon from Lan, one most famous in Brazil:



During this day, a series of samba and carnival events took place all around the country. Definitely, samba is a vibrant cause to celebrate. The Brazilian National Samba Day project started a few years ago when the grand-daughter of legendary samba composer Cartola and president of the Cartola Cultural Center, Nilcemar Nogueira, proposed the Cultural Patrimony registry with Brazil´s Iphan. ( Iphan is the federal organ that serves as a base for the constitution of state and municipal organs for the protection of cultural patrimony. It was created by the Decree nº 25, on the 30th of November of 1937, and elaborated by Mário de Andrade at the request of Gustavo Capanema, minister of then-President Getúlio Vargas).

After careful analysis, the Brazilian government patrimony body declared the Rio de Janeiro Samba, or “Carioca Samba” as a legitimate Cultural Patrimony of Brazil in October 9th, 2007. IPHAN declared Rio´s samba three strands: “the partido alto”, “samba de terreiro”, and “samba-enredo”, the later being the one played at the samba schools Rio de Janeiro Carnival Parade. The Samba School Association in Rio de Janeiro LIESA, also supported this project. Nilcemar said that the project would help not only to preserve the memory of all of those who founded the Brazilian Samba in the past, but would help new generations to come understand, cherish, and cultivate the importance of this genuine Brazilian rhythm.

Samba and Brazil Carnaval legends like Cartola, Carlos Cachaça, Vinícius de Morais and Tom Jobim, (the two last ones composers of “The Girl from Ipanema”) would surely applaud this movement. So next year, December 1st 2009, make sure to celebrate the Carioca Samba! Put on a Cartola record, prepare a nice caipirinha, call your friends and enjoy this magical rhythm!

Unidos da Tijuca flag at their rehearsal:

Thatiana Pagung is the next Drum Queen we will be describing in our 2009 Drum Queen post series. Thatiana could be defined as one of the best examples of the true “roots” Drum Queens at the Brazilian Carnival. Unlike some other Queens, Thatiana has a deep connection with the samba world (she was born during a Carnival!!) and as a child, loved to watch the samba parades at TV. She was always fascinated by the magical aspect of the carnival parades, where she debuted in 1999, at the Rio Sambadrome with Tradição Samba School.

Thatiana, starting acting at the age of 11 at the Tablado Theater School, also soon learned that Carnival was able to unite several passions she had: music, acting, singing and dancing. As an attentive student, the muse observed the importance of the Drums Section with Master Riko at the Villa Lobos Music School. She was part of the Women only Percussion Group at Tradição Samba School. Apart from Tradição, the beautiful Brazilian beauty had impressive parades at Caprichosos de Pilares Samba School ( 2004 ) , Acadêmicos da Rocinha ( 2004 ) and Aguia de Ouro ( São Paulo 2003- 2004 ) . Thaiana Pagung has been a beauty muse since her first parades, being been elected as the Carnival Muse by the “O Dia” and “Extra” newspapers, as well as “Tamborin de Ouro” and “Musa do Alizirão”. See below great shot of Thiago Mattos





In 2009, Thatiana Pagung will parade again as Drum Queen for the legendary Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel Samba School, that she supports since 2007. The multi-talented actress once stated during an interview that parading in the Rio Sambadrome feels like a Dionysian ritual, where all the magic, ecstasy and enthusiasm vibrate in perfect harmony. Finally, this marvelous carioca is also Drum Queen for the Access Group samba School called Inocentes de Belford Roxo! Way to go Thatiana!


Short Biography Thatiana Pagung : Model, actress, movie maker, Drum Queen Thatiana is a true product of the samba world in Rio. Started as an actress with 11 years old, and then gained fame as the Drum Queen for Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel Samba School. Thatiana Pagung has a college degree in filmmaking and produced a series of documentaries of the Brazilian Carnival community in Rio de Janeriro. See below excellent portrait of Thatiana Pagung by João Laet:



The Samba muse is part of the Globo TV network cast, and had significant participations in “Zorra Total” and “Turma do Didi” comic TV shows. Recently, Thatiana was invited to shoot in the United States. Thatiana´s dark gold skin color is blessed by all Carnival Gods and mesmerizes even the most experienced samba musicians. Thatiana Pagung today has her own Carnival Blog column where she is an editor. Thatiana is a living proof that beauty can go together with serious and thorough content.

Good Luck Thatiana in your parade and continue with your samba and carnival passion.

Viviane Araujo´s name was linked to the Brazilian Carnival as soon as she reached Brazil ´s media lime lights. Viviane always loved Samba and started parading when she was very young in Rio´s Sambadrome, at the age of 18. As a true samba dancer, Viviane had her first chance as a true Drum Queen at Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel Samba School in 2005, where she paraded for several years. In 2008, Viviane paraded as Drum Queen for two Samba Schools in the Brazil Carnival: Salgueiro Samba School in Rio and Mancha Verde in São Paulo. In 2009 Carnival, Viviane will repeat this success recipe in these disputed samba parade posts. Viviane Araújo is considered one of the best samba dancers amongst all Drum Queens. If you have a chance to go to the Salgueiro Samba Rehearsal, you will be able to testify what I say… Good luck Viviane in your two parades in 2009 Brazil Carnival.

Below, the beautiful Viviane Araujo in her Salgueiro parade in 2008:





Viviane Araujo Short Biography: Viviane Araujo is a Brazilian model and actress. Viviane started her career when she was 16 years old, participating in several ads and pageant contests. Viviane was elected the “Bum Bum Girl” and “Carnival Panther” in 1996, Rio de Janeiro. In 1997, Viviane was the cover-girl for a Brazil men´s magazine called “Ele e Ela” and soon became a national sensual symbol. She was then cover girl for several other magazines, including Sexy and Playboy. Viviane Araujo was also elected Queen of the Brazilian version of the Gay Parade, in São Paulo, being kind of a godmother for Gay community. Today, Viviane is engaged to a Brazilian soccer player called Radamés. Viviane was born March 25, 1975 in Rio de Janeiro.




Prepare your hearts for the 2009 Brazil Carnival! Get yourself to Brazil! 68 days to Rio Carnival!

Belavista Carnival Blog continues its Drum Queen Series. Today, we will talk a little bit about Natalia Guimarães, Drum Queen for Unidos de Vila Isabel Samba Schooll. Natália, who last year had her official debut at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, was confirmed as the Vila Isabel ´s Drum Queen and went to her 3rd rehearsal last weekend at the samba school court. In an interview, Natalia stated that this year she will have more liberty to support the samba school, since last year she had a tight agenda controlled by the Miss World contest. She also said the fine tuning with the Drums Section Master is vital. Vila Isabel´s Drums Master is known as "Mestre Mug", and is famous by his "paradinhas" or, short stops. Two carnival directors , "Carnavalescos" will sign her special costume: Alex de Souza e Paulo Barros. Vila Isabel´s samba parade theme for 2009 will be dedicated Rio de Janeiro´s Municipal Theater, which is celebrating its 100th inauguration anniversary. This parade promises to be a luxurious one, since Rio´s "Theatro Municipal" is a true copy of legendary Paris Opera Theater, but in a smaller scale.


See below picture of Vila Isabel Drum Queen Natalia Guimarães:



Natalia Guimarães Short Biography : Former Miss Universe Brazil. Natalia Guimarães won the title in April 14 2007 beating out over 26 other contestants from states and the Federal District, Brasília. Natalia also won the 2007 Top Model of the World International Pageant. However, she resigned due to her participation in Miss Universe. On May 28, 2007, Natália competed in the 2007 Miss Universe Pageant held in Mexico City, Mexico. She finished as the 1st runner up. The day after the Miss Universe competition, a Mexican television show asked the public who should have won the pageant. Natália Guimarães won this poll with almost a third of the votes.



Good Luck Natália in your Vila Isabel Samba Parade!

Gisele Itie Short Biography: Actress and Model. Born in México City, but was raised in Brazil since the age of four. Gisele Itié started her carrier as a model and had her commercial debut in a national perfume campaign in 2000. Gisele Itié had a leading role in “The Mystery of Sintra” from Portuguese classical author Eça de Queiroz. Giselle participated in several soap operas from GLOBO NETWORK TV, such as “Pé na Jaca” and “The Prophet”, where her character Sabine enjoyed great success. Gisele was also invited to participate in an episode of a cable TV series called “Mandrake”.

Gisele is 27 years old, being born October 3rd, 1981. Gisele has incredible hazel eyes that change color depending on the day and make-up. Gisele Itie recently enjoyed huge success in a photo shoot where she was dressed up like Amy Winehouse. There is a curiosity to this story...Gisele was actually in London in one of the episodes where she was taken to hospital emergency. Gisele saw the moment when the hospital ambulance parked in front of her house to rescued her.



Above a great portrait of Beto Guaraciaba of Gisele Itie.


Why is she a top Brazilian Muse? Gisele Itié is the owner of probably the most sensual look in Brazilian TV. Her intense eyes reflect her charismatic personality. Gisele’s proportional legs and hips are the best proof that Rio de Janeiro has turned her into a true Brazilian. Good luck Gisele Itié in your new projects!