A Very Special Thanks

A very special thanks to Valeria and Michael Ruggieri of RioBela Productions for their countless hours and tireless dedication to helping in the production of all of SambaLa's activities. Valeria's has worked very hard in trying to bring SambaLa's levels to higher ground and has truly succeeded.

SambaLa owes them a great debt of gratitude.

Muito obrigado!

Video - SambaLa Today

SambaLa is alive and well 15 years later and proof is was the 2008 Brazilian Street Carnaval. Despite the massive construction projects downtown, SambaLa found a way to do carnaval and on the way, showing why it has been around for 15 years: flexibility, creativity, and persistance.

Special thanks to RioBela Productions for raising the level at our carnaval to new heights! Thanks Val and Michael Ruggieri! :-)

Things of note:

Children Singing and Special Ala (Costume Group)

Singer, Pandeiro - Renni Flores and Carlinhos do Pandeiro

King of the Long Beach Carnaval - "Bear"

King of Rio Carnaval - Alex de Oliveira

Rainha da Bateria of Mocidade from Rio - Thaitana Pagung

Mestre Sala Porta Bandeira - Maija Hunter and Bryant Evangelista

Beautiful Theme Song - Renni Flores

Beautiful Costumes - Doris de Hilster

Madrinha da Bateria - Valeria Ruggieri

Rainha da Bateria - Jonia McClenney

Bateria - Lead by director and arranger Jason Brancazio

Here is a music video clip from this year's event which honored the children of the world and of SambaLa. SambaLa after all is a community first with family, friends, and children who have grown up with samba all their life and they don't live in Brazil.

That is what is all about in the end.

2008 Brazilian Street Carnaval: Real Windows Quicktime

Video: SambaLa in the Rio Sambadrome in 2000

Who would have imagined that SambaLa would become the first samba school outside of Brazil to parade in noted positions in the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro?

But that is exactly what happened.

On the day of champions in the year 2000, SambaLa along with LIESA's Alessandra Pirotelli brought hundreds of gringo sambistas from 19 countries together in the Sambadrome with SambaLa filling key spots including:

Rei Momo (King of Carnaval): William "Bear" Dalzell II

Porta-Bandeira / Mestre Sala: Maija Hunter and Bryant Evangelista

Rainha da Bateria: Monica Tibbs

Madrinha da Bateria: Jacqueline Cunha

Carnavelesca: Doris de Hilster

Puxador (singing with Neguinho da Beija-Flor): David de Hilster

And many people in the bateria and other dancers participating.

SambaLa along with Alessandra Pirotelli got Martinho da Villa to write the samba enredo for Unidos do Mundo.

Also helping where Beth Carvalho and Carlinhos de Jesus also helped during practices and paraded with the group.

You can see all these people and listen to the song in this music video made in the year 2000. We are very proud of all of SambaLa leading the world to this incredible event!

SambaLa Music Video in Rio Sambadrome: Real Windows Quicktime

Video: SambaLa in the late 1990s

The year 1999 was an excitiing time for everyone including SambaLa. In 1997, David de Hilster started the World-Wide Samba Home Pages (http://www.worldsamba.org) and proposed that all the gringo sambistas from around the world meet in Rio for the new millennium. David send a message to the webmaster of the League of samba schools in Rio and met Alessandra Pirotelli who together, created Unidos do Mundo (more in our next email).

In 1999 as other samba schools prepared to meet in Rio, SambaLa prepared for Rio with their annual Braizlian Street Carnaval (http://street.carnaval.org). That year, a documentary film crew filmed some of the activities.

In this promo video for SambaLa, you will see samba shows done by SambaLa in the late 1990s including footage from the Korean show launching the Kia Motors "Rio" car in front of 80,000 in a million-dollar production.

You will also see the part of the documentary made in 1999 about SambaLa and its annual Brazilian Street Carnaval.

1999 Promo Video & Documentary Clip: Real Windows Quicktime

Presidents Message: Real Windows Quicktime

1995 SambaLa Promo Video

This demo is of the very first shows that SambaLa did professionally way back in 1994 (the video was edited in 1995). You can see several people in the video that are still active today including Geoff Hunter, Dai and Leila Furumasu (BEFORE they were married), Luzia Arnold, and David and Doris de Hilster. Doris dancing in a bikini?

Many of the drums were made by the then Bateria director, Marco Santos. We still have many of those drums 15 years later.

And who was the Rainha da Bateria (Queen of the Percussion)? She's in the video also.

And another fun piece of trivia...

Someone is in the Video who is now the show director and costume designer for SambaLa. Yes, she started out as a dancer and you will see her here.

President Dave is also in the video much younger with a beard, and no need to paint his gray hair! You will see people who have been with us all 15 years and we thank them all for their support through the last decade and a half.

Thanks to Carlos Siqueira, long-time friend and supporter of SambaLa and BrazilTV.com for the filming and editing.

Now back to 1994...

Choose format: Real Windows Quicktime