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SAMBA DOG |
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 Some dancers dress like storybook characters. © David Muenker |
"I can't help it," Sonya replied as she jumped and spun around. "The music makes my paws twitch!"
Festive music bounced off the walls of the city's historic buildings.
Thousands of people danced in the streets and sang popular Carnival songs at the top of their lungs.
Each group of dancers wore different costumes. Some dressed like cowboys. Others looked like storybook characters.
Sonya stepped to the beat of the drums. Imitating the people around her, she jumped forward and back, and side to side. When dancers waved their arms high in the air, Sonya jumped on her hind legs and stretched her forelegs toward the sky.
"You're looking good," a beautiful woman complimented her.
"Really?" Sonya blushed.
Everyone in the woman's group wore colorful turbans and long, flounced skirts. Their beautiful faces ranged in color from caramel to dark chocolate.
"They're so beautiful and graceful," Sonya remarked.
 Bahian women show Sonya how to dance the samba. © David Muenker |
"Move your hips like this, sweetie," one of the women encouraged Sonya.
Sonya jerked her hips to one side, then the other. "Capoeira was easier!" she moaned. Marcelo chuckled, but the women urged her on.
"Move your hips like a hammock swinging in the breeze. Slow and easy."
"Now I get it!" Sonya woofed as she swayed in step with the women. They danced down the street together like a beautiful, flowing river.
At the square, Sonya and Marcelo stopped at a food stand. Fritters sizzled in a pan of oil.
"Those are acaraje. Let's try some," Marcelo said. The vendor sliced two fritters open and spooned on a golden puree of peanuts, cashews and shrimp."
"Yummy!" Sonya licked her chops.
At the next stand, they ate grilled beef on a stick. And for dessert, they chewed on stalks of sugar cane.
After dark, even more people sang and danced on Salvador's cobblestone streets.
 Sonya joins the ribbon dance. © 2006 Ravay Snow |
Each of the dancers held a colorful ribbon attached to a pole. As they danced in a circle, the ribbons wrapped around it.
"Come join us!" A beautiful girl held out a ribbon to Sonya.
"Me?"
"Yes, you!"
Sonya danced the circle dance, humming along to the music. She couldn't understand the Portuguese words, but she loved the joyful sound of them.
 Kids also join the festivities with their parents. © David Muenker |
At every turn, they joined another group of dancers and learned new steps. They danced with newfound friends until dawn.
When the sun rose, Sonya curled up on a patch of grass in the plaza and fell sound asleep.
Now was the time to rest. In just a few hours, the festivities would start again. It's Carnival!
Note: This story is fiction based on fact.
Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about Brazil.
Read a non-fiction article about Carnival in Salvador, Brazil.
Test your understanding of words used in this story with the Word Match game.
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Photographs ©2005-2010 David Muenker. Text ©2005-2010 Rose Muenker. Illustrations ©2005-2010 Ravay Snow Any use without express written permission is illegal and punishable by law. All rights reserved. Site designed and developed by Josh Bergman. |
