Chamarrita

Chamarrita can refer to two different types of music and dance, one from the Azores in Portugal and one from the Rio de la Plata littoral region in northern Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil.[1]

Azorean Chamarrita

The chamarrita from the Azores is a dance to a 3
4 rhythm traditionally played on the fiddle with or without accompaniment.[1]

Though its origin is based in the Azores and Madeira, the Chamarrita is also prevalent in Brazil thanks to Azorean settlers who came to Brazil in the eighteenth century. However, it is often recognized as Chimarrita by Brazilians in Rio Grande de Sul. The vowel change is suspected to be an unintentional error by natives. The dance is also popular in Santa Catarina, Paraná, and São Paulo where it has gained new reformations influenced by the waltz.[2]

Instruments often include the guitar, harmonica and accordion. Dancers, usually in pairs, wear authentic gaucho clothes reflecting Azorean culture. The dance itself is a lively dance done in a circle. There is a caller who sings out directions to all the dancers. The pairs of dancers gather in opposite rows, approaching and moving away as the music progresses.[3] The following is an example of a Chamaritta verse with the English translation.

A moda da Chamarrita

Nã tem nada que aprender,

E andar comum pé no ar

E outro no chão a bater. Quero cantar e bailar

Com a moca mais bonita

Bater o pé no terreiro

Dar voltas a Chamarrita

The old Chamarrita dance

Does have little to learn more

Than, lift a foot in the air,

Stamp the other on the floor! I want to sing and dance

Stamp my foot on the ground

Dance with the prettiest gal

In a Chamarrita Round[4]

Chamarrita in the Guinness World Records

In 2015, the Câmara Municipal da Madalena, a government office on the Azorean island of Pico, organized the largest Portuguese folk dance in hopes to promote their hometown and their traditions. 544 people participated in the paired dance forming a gigantic circle located in the city’s stadium. A member of the City Hall of Madalena said, “It’s with great pride that we celebrate the achievement of this record. Proud to know that in this way our traditions are respected, renewed and projected into the future.”[5]

Littoral Chamarrita

The chamarrita from the Rio de la Plata region has been suggested to descend from the Azorean chamarrita, but there is no conclusive evidence of this.

See also

References
  1. Tunz+nath (2012-02-19). "Azores Lifestyle: Chamarrita". Azores Lifestyle. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  2. "Estância Virtual | Tradição Gaúcha | Danças Tradicionais". Estância Virtual | Tradição Gaúcha | Danças Tradicionais (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  3. "Vinda de Portugal, Chimarrita é uma das marcas do folclore gaúcho". Brasil Imperdível (in Portuguese). 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  4. "Folk Customs of the Azores | Azores GenWeb Site". www.worldgenweb.org. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  5. "Portuguese town celebrates local tradition by performing huge folk dance". Guinness World Records. 2015-08-19. Retrieved 2018-04-12.


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