The carnival in Uruguay
The event
The carnival in Uruguay is the longest one in the world, lasting in total for 40 days. The 3 main events are the opening on the first day, the parades in the middle and the final performance weekend. However, during all that 40 days, you can enjoy shows in a more relaxed way.
The final weekend performance
I have been only during the last weekend. Many groups perform a show in different theaters. A competition is organized for selecting the best group in his category. In the meanwhile, they perform in many places in the city just for entertainment.
The different categories
- Murgas
The typical group of Uruguay, a group of men singing together. They are all dressed in a fancy way and speak about a theme of the society.
- Humoristas
A mix of theater, comedy, singing and dancing. The history is invented by the group.
- Parodistas
The same as before, except that the story already exists.
- Lubolos
Performers dancing samba, drumming and singing black people song.
- Revistas
Dancers doing choreography with many types of music.
My weekend experience
At the Velodromo
I went here with the couch-surfer that hosted me. The Velodrome has a big show starting at 8.00pm and finishing around 2.00am. In total, more than 6 groups are performing each night.
The first impression is amazing. The costumes and the songs are incredible. On top of that, the production adds dynamics. Each group has a theme about the society and caricature it. Unfortunately, my Spanish was too limited for following the full show.
In any case, I spend a good introduction to the Uruguayan tablados (name of the scene where the groups performed).
At the Teatro de Verano (Summer theater)
At this place, each group plays the full show. Instead of 45 minutes, the show last for more than one hour. Moreover, the groups are judged here to the best of each category.
Even, if I was a bit far from the scene, I still can delight it. I saw my two favorite groups. One Murga that made a show about the South America liberators of each country. It was one of the show I understood the most and it was really funny. The other group was about dance (Revista). Although it is the only one of this category I saw, I loved the dance performance: salsa, bachata…
At the Museo de Carnaval (Carnival Museum)
I did an extra visit at the Carnaval museum with an Uruguayan that advised me everything about the carnival. She is really passionate by the carnival.
Moreover, she followed a group that was playing there. Unfortunately, due to a technical accident, the show of this group was canceled in the middle…
The place, smaller, was more relaxed and working-class.
In the street for a parade
Finally, I saw a parade in the street. Not the main one, as they processed in the middle of the 40 days but it was a nice event.
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