The World of Frevo

Frevo originated in Pernambuco, Brazil, and is a traditional rhythm and music used in Brazilian carnivals. It has some of its origins in the carnival clubs of black and mestizo workers in Recife, as well as the European marching style music, which was popular at the time.  The word Frevo originates from the Portuguese word ferver, which means boil, essentially describing the dance accompanied by Frevo music, that the style is like dancing on boiling water. The dance movements and acrobatics take their roots from Capoeira, another Brazilian dance and martial art created by enslaved Africans in the country. Frevo dance is also known as passo or step and its dancers are known as passistas, who usually wear colourful clothing. Passistas often dance with an umbrella, performing many movements with the umbrella alongside acrobatics.

There are three types of Frevo music: street (Frevo de Rua), Block (Frevo de Bloco), and song (Frevo Song). Street Frevo is an instrumental orchestral style, where the metal and woodwind families are at the center of the performance, this type of Frevo is mainly danced to. Block Frevo is another orchestral-influenced style, however, there is a bigger focus on string instruments and woodwinds. This style is also accompanied by a female choir, who sing about the enjoyment and nostalgia of carnival time. Frevo song has a similar instrument arrangement as Street Frevo, and is often sung on stages. In the 1950s frevo was introduced to the carnival of Salvador, Bahia, and included instruments such as electric guitars. This style became known as Bahian frevo (Frevo Baiano).

Danny J