One day while I was in Barcelona I heard from some friends, that before the pandemia they often were going to dance Forro that is (they explained) a brazilian dance, that looks like salsa. I wanted to try, so after kindly pressuring them, they decided to go with me to a forro party.
It was September, around 19.00, the sun was about to set, the sun was producing the golden colours across the beautiful Parc de la Ciutadella. I climbed the stairs, which were leading to the building of the fountain and I started hearing the music. Brazilian music that makes you want to dance. Soon I saw people: Leaders and Followers dancing in couples. Their bodies were tangled to one another. You could see turns, steps, skirts spinning, bodies that were very close to each other, smiles, laughs, men asking women to dance, women asking men to dance. After every dance the couples were hugging, saying “obrigado/a” to each other and little after they were searching for another person to dance with. The building in Parc de la Ciutadella is extremely picturesque. Surrounded by the green garden and the lake with the ducks, the fountain and the winged dragons, the Venus and the other marble and metalic sculptures, the arches and the columns and, of course, the imposing stairs that lead to the small podium where the people were dancing.
My friends found partners and started to dance. Someone asked me to dance too. I said to him that I don’t know how but he insisted. Luckily my friends had taught me the basic steps so I wasn’t compeletely lost. He was trying to lead me and make me spin. After some time I let myself free. I stopped worrying about my steps, as I understood there are no mistakes. You just need to connect with the person with whom you are dancing, let yourself be led and most important ENJOY. After a while I was feeling the same happiness as they were feeling. Smile the same way and even more. It was the first time when I was spinning and dancing with specific steps. My friends were also there dancing near or with me. The time was passing so fast. I was dancing three hours without getting tired. I was excited.
Suddenly I noticed that the night came. I looked at the sky. Of course, it had to be full moon to make this day look more like a fairytale. This place looks even more magnificent at a fullmoon night. We were dancing under the silver moonlight until the music stopped.
Soon I left. I was going down the enormous stairs, observing the fountain and the glossy white stripes that the moon was creating on the lake. I wasn’t believing what I had just experienced. I was feeling a fullfillment and a strange feeling of happiness. Randomely, here in Barcelona I had found something which makes me feel more than excited.
Since that day I am going to forro parties with my friends at least once per week and we have an amazing time there. I am getting better at it and I enjoy it even more, even when it is not placed on the top of the fountain of Parc de la Ciutadella. For sure I will miss it when I go back to Greece.
Ioanna
This event is organized by Centro Cultural Brasileiro Cafofobcn and the professor David Bosco.
