Rio de Janeiro, Jul 26 (EFE).- "Funk carioca," a stigmatized dance form associated with the lowest socioeconomic strata in Brazil, has become a weapon of empowerment for women in their efforts to combat discrimination and violence.
Taisa Machado, an actress, dancer and instructor of funk carioca, which originated in Rio de Janeiro and has spread to several regions of Brazil and even Argentina, has chosen "pleasure and freedom" as slogans for the classes she teaches in the bohemian Rio neighborhood of Lapa.
"Women come here and are able to tap into their sensuality. Funk is not easy, but dancing and feeling powerful become inevitable. Within that universe, I see that my white students experience that aspect of their bodies with more freedom than the women from the district I come from," she told EFE.
The social stigma attached to funk carioca is "the criminalization of poverty and a reflection of racism," the 30-year-old Machado said.
FOOTAGE OF TAISA MACHADO DANCING (ALSO HANDOUT FROM TAISA MACHADO)
SOUNDBITES OF TAISA MACHADO:
Translation:
"Women don't come to my class just to learn to dance, but they also seek to understand their sexuality more and develop their abilities with their bodies, especially with the hip."
"I really don't know why, but I think it's a moment in society in which everything women want becomes a source of power. This happens in Funk too, which is a sexual dance, and in my opinion, sexuality is the biggest prison for women, the difficulty of assuming that they have pleasure or want pleasure or even that they deal with it. In 2019, this issue remains a taboo, and the predominance of men over women's bodies is one of the main causes of femicide. I think in my class women find the power to dance in the way they like and feel beautiful and sexy. "
"Funk, besides being cultural, moves a lot of money, and prejudices are a way of criminalizing poverty and black people. When we think of women dancing, it also goes through machismo because there is a difference in how white and black women from favelas are seen dancing. All women can be objectified, but there is a subtle difference. "
Taisa Machado, an actress, dancer and instructor of funk carioca, which originated in Rio de Janeiro and has spread to several regions of Brazil and even Argentina, has chosen "pleasure and freedom" as slogans for the classes she teaches in the bohemian Rio neighborhood of Lapa.
"Women come here and are able to tap into their sensuality. Funk is not easy, but dancing and feeling powerful become inevitable. Within that universe, I see that my white students experience that aspect of their bodies with more freedom than the women from the district I come from," she told EFE.
The social stigma attached to funk carioca is "the criminalization of poverty and a reflection of racism," the 30-year-old Machado said.
FOOTAGE OF TAISA MACHADO DANCING (ALSO HANDOUT FROM TAISA MACHADO)
SOUNDBITES OF TAISA MACHADO:
Translation:
"Women don't come to my class just to learn to dance, but they also seek to understand their sexuality more and develop their abilities with their bodies, especially with the hip."
"I really don't know why, but I think it's a moment in society in which everything women want becomes a source of power. This happens in Funk too, which is a sexual dance, and in my opinion, sexuality is the biggest prison for women, the difficulty of assuming that they have pleasure or want pleasure or even that they deal with it. In 2019, this issue remains a taboo, and the predominance of men over women's bodies is one of the main causes of femicide. I think in my class women find the power to dance in the way they like and feel beautiful and sexy. "
"Funk, besides being cultural, moves a lot of money, and prejudices are a way of criminalizing poverty and black people. When we think of women dancing, it also goes through machismo because there is a difference in how white and black women from favelas are seen dancing. All women can be objectified, but there is a subtle difference. "
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