The Brazilian Student Association (BRASA) hosted an event named after the popular Brazilian song, “Águas de Março,” meaning “Waters of March” on Saturday. At the Davis Center, attendees celebrated International Women’s Day and the coming of spring. The event invited the College community to partake in an evening of food, friendship, live music, and dance. It also raised funds for Latinos Unidos, a Florida-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the Latin American community through civic engagement and training workshops.
The program featured performances by Ritmo, the College’s Afro-Latinx and Latinx dance group, and ¡Vive!, the College’s Latin Music Group, along with an open mic segment to conclude the night’s festivities.
The set list for the performances included classics in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, such as “Chega De Saudade,” “Águas de Março,” and “The Girl From Ipanema.” The latter two songs were written by Antônio Carlos Jobim, a Brazilian composer regarded as one of the founders of bossa nova, a Brazilian music genre. While watching the student performances, audience members were served dinner from Espetinho Carioca, a Brazilian restaurant in Pittsfield, Mass.
“Águas de Março” is one of many events organized by BRASA that celebrates Brazilian history and culture. Last month, the group partnered with WCFM, the College’s student-run radio organization, to host a joint Carnaval and Valentine’s Day bash in Agard.
¡Vive! and Ritmo have also been busy bringing their performances to the College community. ¡Vive!’s recent programming includes a Día de los Muertos show at Mass MoCA and a movie night to watch Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma. Ritmo recently performed at the Lunar New Year Gala hosted by the Chinese American Student Organization.
These performances aimed to engage the College beyond the Latin student community. Jose Diaz ’29, who performed with ¡Vive!, encourages people to join the performance group even if they do not identify as Latin American. “It sounds like you can only be in ¡Vive! if you have strong connections with Latin America, but that’s just not true,” he said. “If you’re a musician and you’re interested in music in different languages, music from different cultures, you can participate.”
For Diaz, an essential part of his joy in the music group comes from being able to embrace his cultural identity through art. “My favorite part about ¡Vive! is sharing our culture and this opportunity that I have to sing all of the songs I like from my culture and other Hispanic countries’ cultures.”
