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On the evening of Saturday, Feb. 17, three days before this week's Mardi Gras, the High Noon Saloon played host to a Brazilian-style Carnaval in anticipation of the holiday. This sixth annual celebration featured performances by the Handphibians, Pagee Go Go and Trio Electrico, and martial arts demonstrations by Omulu-Guanabara Capoeira. It also introduced Massamba Dance, a group bringing Rio-style costumes and samba footwork and rhythms to the stage.
A live samba video follows below.
One member of the Handphibians describes the party:
It was packed. And I mean packed. There was a huge line outside, and I had to shove and elbow my way past it through to the door (another Handphib member followed me, holding on to my coat so she could travel in my wake), show my stamped hand to the door guy, and then...and then the huge giant room that was empty just a few hours ago was stuffed with hundreds of people, a giant solid bouncing mass with the stage and music in front. The heat from the sheer amount of bodies hit me like a slam in the face. People were packed so tight they couldn't dance, just kinda jiggle in place.She also describes the dancing:
But oh man. The samba dancers the second time... they had the costumes on, man. The teeny sequined bikini things with beads and heels and enormous feathers. And they danced like... like... oh wow. They danced like I didn't know the human body was capable of.
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