London School of Samba - Samba enredo competition 2010: CALL FOR ENTRIES! Deadline Monday 8th March 2010

After celebrating our 25th anniversary with a fantastic parade at last year's Notting Hill Carnival, winning the samba category, the London School of Samba is preparing for its 26th parade this August with our carnival theme 'Gods, Myths and Monsters'.

As with previous years, we will be holding a competition to choose the samba enredo that will be performed on the road at Notting Hill. We are proud to be the only school in the UK (and perhaps Europe??) to hold such a competition. Composers are invited to submit a samba, which will be performed with a live bateria at Guanabara, Covent Garden, on Friday 19th March, where there will also be a performance by the baterias of LSS and Bloco do Baliza from Madrid!

Entrants are requested to submit an mp3 of the samba and the lyrics no later than Monday 8th March. If you are interested in writing a samba please see the conditions of entry below. The theme, which was voted on by our members, is attached to this mail, and there are also some notes below regarding useful vocab. for the song.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us at;

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Conditions of entry:

1) All entrants to provide demo tape/MP3 (vocal + cavaco) no later than Monday 8th March 2010. You should also supply a copy of the lyrics in Portuguese and English. There is no need to spend loads of money on a flashy demo in an expensive studio - all that is required is a basic demo of the song.

2) All demos will be posted on LSS website in the members section so that members can hear them shortly after the deadline. We will send out an announcement when this is done, nearer the date.

3) Entrants are not being asked to make a bateria arrangement but to write a musical one - the lyrics and the melody etc.

4) The song should be all or mainly in Portuguese, but it would also be nice to have a verse/chorus/couple of lines in English.

5) All entrants of the competition have the opportunity to perform the song at the competition - or arrange for this to happen. Songs that will be performed on the night may stand a greater chance of winning the competition as voting commences on the night. For its presentation, entrants should arrange for the enredo to be accompanied by their own puxador and cavaco and will be supported by the LSS bateria.

6) Unfortunately there is no prize money for the winner of the competition. But your song will be sung by over 200 London School of Samba members at Notting Hill Carnival and played throughout the course of 2010/2011.

7) The copyright for the lyrics and music of the winning song will rest with the LSS. Any proceeds from licensing of the song will go towards LSS's charitable activities.

8) If you are intending to take part in the competition, please notify us at lssbateria@googlemail.com in advance.

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Guide to the 2010 LSS enredo by Chris Bicourt

Here is the brief that formed the original proposal, and further down are some useful links regarding vocab for the samba etc.

Myths are a part of who we are. They explore our darkest fears and desires, and the very best and noble in all of us. The world of Greek mythology is a rich source of symbols, colours, captivating tales, and extraordinary characters that strike a chord with anybody who was ever told a story, or who was ever young and dreamed. Imagine the delight of a small child as he sees in our parade the unmistakable figure of the bull-headed Minotaur, or snake-haired Medusa... Icarus with his great wings, who flew too close to the sun, Dionysus god of wine, theatre and madness, the Titan Atlas, who holds up the world, or Kharon who ferries the dead across the river Styx into Hades... imagine Aphrodite, the beautiful goddess of love, the nymphs Circe and Calypso, mythical beasts like Pegasus, and Cerberus, the 3-headed dog who guards the gates to the Underworld, wreaking samba through the streets of Notting Hill. Imagine the overwhelming power and awe of the gods as commanded by almighty Zeus, each beat of the surdo echoing in our hearts like thunder...

Presenting, The London School of Samba: “Gods, Myths and Monsters”

London will be captivated by an astonishing display of might and imagination. From the comissão de frente presenting the Gods of Mount Olympus: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo et al... to the bravest, boldest, most disciplined fighting force in all the ancient world, our ritmistas, warriors of Sparta, whose reputation strikes fear into the hearts of their opponents, challenging them to the battle of the batucada... on to the passistas: the Amazons, daughters of the goddess Artemis, fearless warrior princesses led by their queen... and there, rising into the sky from a distance, delivering our coup-de-grâce: that ominous and portentous symbol of Homer’s Iliad, of love and honour, of pride and determination, The Trojan Horse; the London School of Samba will intrigue and amaze the masses – is this an offering to the Gods, or something more sinister? Only our music will tell...

Notes

Often with a samba parade the meaning of the costumes and props are lost on the audience. The beauty of this theme is that people are already familiar with it. It wouldn’t involve complex designs - many costumes would rely on a single detail for their impact i.e. Icarus’ wings, Cyclops’ single eye, Zeus’ thunderbolts, etc. Also, traditional samba costumes lend themselves very well to the ancient world – lots of straps and skin, ornate breastplates, gladiator passista shoes, etc. – so our female destaques would fit in very well. An ethereal Aphrodite could provide a challenge for an aspiring body-painter. And in the alas there is plenty of scope for some sexy Medusas, scary Harpies, or fiery Centaurs.

Float: The Trojan Horse – comprised of a very basic structure made to look like wood, with the head being the only complex ornamentation. Who will ever forget a giant wooden horse trundling along Westbourne Park Road? Or it could be the second float, pulled along on ropes by slaves.

Bateria: King Leonidas and the brave 300 of Sparta – imagine the visual impact of 300 (ok, 70) Ancient Greek warriors marching through Notting Hill, a great sea of plumed helmets. Simple costume: cape, helmet + moulded breastplate. And don’t forget that Spartan women were just as formidable as the men - so let’s have a separate design for female bateria costumes.

Here is a great website with all the vocab and links to stuff you'd need:
http://www.suapesquisa.com/mitologiagrega/

And for me it's important to make sure you include reference to King Leonidas and the battle of Thermopylae (as the bateria will be Spartan warriors) 300 vs 100,000 defending their country and culture. This is a useful summary subtitled in Portuguese: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGGt0xo1ts4&feature=related