Super Sonic Samba

School

San Diego, CA

By: Michael Martin

Saturday, March 2, 2013 Old

Sugar Mills Winery, Clarks-

burg, Ca -

With the first few months of

the new year behind us,

SSSS has taken things to

another level. Quality per-

formances in Northern Cali-

fornia were led by three

mainstays within Super

Sonic. The mainstays, also

known as Tres Rainhas da

Bateria are: the reigning

Rainha, Dina Bedenko „13,

Courtney Carter ‟12, and

Monique Guzman ‟11.

During the Inaugural

Clarksburg Brazilian Car-

nival event held at the fa-

mous grounds of Old Sugar

Mills Winery, the Tres

Rainhas da Bateria pro-

vided high octane dance

routines and solo acts;

quintessential to the

fantasia-clad dancers

who perform at tradi-

tional Brazilian Car-

nivals in Rio de Ja-

neiro. The combined

efforts of the Rainhas

marked the first time

SSSS was invited to

an event outside of

Southern California. In a

giddy like manner,

Monique said “it‟s a big

deal. We‟ve never had this

type of exposure”. Dina and

Courtney shared the giddi-

ness of Monique, and

agreed they were equally

excited about what the

northbound trip involved:

organizational exposure in

Northern California, and

the opportunity to show-

case the dancer prowess of

SSSS. (Continue on pg. 3)

Wayne group throughout the years.

That is Wayne English.

Wayne has been with Super

Sonic since its infant years in

1994. He has been an active

bateria member, attending

just about every gig that can

be remembered. He has

served for several years as an

officer and general member of

the Super Sonic Samba School

Board of Directors. In addi-

tion, he has been a liaison

for Super Sonic by seeking

out new gig opportunities

and informing the commu-

nity about Super Sonic.

Wayne has dedicated numer-

ous years, days, and hours to

this group even behind the

scenes. As an elder of the

group, he works hard to

maintain the integrity and

mission statement of Super

Sonic. He has served as an

ambassador for this group in

the San Diego community by

assisting with the Neighbor-

hood Unity Foundation

grant. (Continue on pg. 3)

A Samba School

Lesson

2

Wayne 2

Tres Rainhas da

Bateria

3

Gigs, events, socials 3

Member‟s Meeting

Minutes

4

Inside this issue:

Back For the Very First

Time

The SWIRL

May 2013 Volume 1, Issue 3

By: Courtney Carter

Super Sonic Samba School has

been in the San Diego commu-

nity for over twenty years. This

samba school has evolved from

a grassroots group of drum

demonstrators to a refined

samba school, following the

spirit of the escolas de samba in

Rio de Janiero. Although Super

Sonic has changed many times,

one pillar has supported this

By Olia Gaidarenko

Carnival has been celebrated in Brazil

for centuries. Samba schools were

first introduced as part of the festivi-

ties in the late 1920‟s. The very first

group to call itself a samba school was

Deixa Falar, founded in the second

half of the 1920‟s. It is

said that they called

themselves a samba

school because they met

right next door to a chil-

dren‟s school. Mangueira

was founded a couple of

years later. Deixa Falar

eventually split up, and

later got back together

as Estacio de Sa, making

Mangueira the oldest,

although not the first,

samba school in exis-

tence.

Deixa Palar paraded

during Carnival for the

first time in 1929. In

1930, there were already

five schools parading, including Man-

gueira. The samba schools began com-

peting during the parade, and Deixa

Falar won in 1930 and 1931. By 1932

there were 19 parading schools. In

1933 the parade started being spon-

sored by Brazil‟s biggest media group,

„O Globo,‟ which established a list of

judging criteria.

The parading structure of samba

schools derives from groups that

marched during Carnival in the 19th

century, who already had a theme,

floats, and a flag-bearing couple. Each

samba school has its own distinctive

colors, and their color schemes are

reflected throughout their presenta-

tions. There are more than 70 samba

schools in Rio, and they all parade

during the four day Carnival celebra-

tion. Each year, they pick a theme,

write music and lyrics, make floats

and costumes, and practice all year to

succeed in their parades. They are

subject to strict hierarchy and are

organized into six competitive

leagues, the Special Group and

Groups A – E. The first three groups

parade in the Sambadromo, the fa-

mous .5 mile-long ave-

nue with overflowing

bleachers on both

sides. All others pa-

rade in the streets and

are free to watch and

maybe join in.

The Special Group is

comprised of the 12

biggest and most spec-

tacular samba schools.

Their Carnival contin-

gents typically consist

of 3,000-5,000 people.

Each year, the lowest

scoring school from the

Special Group is down-

graded to Group A,

also known as the Access Group.

Group A consists of 10 less successful

schools, the best of which joins the

Special Group in the following year.

The lowest rated schools that get to

parade in the Sambadromo belong to

Group B, or the Base Group.

per Sonic Samba School. Although many

people have come and gone in this

group, Wayne has remained consistent.

However, recently, Wayne has resigned

as a Board of Director officer and has

decided to take a hiatus. This time is

needed for Wayne as he recently lost his

sister and must deal with family respon-

sibilities and bereavement. Still, Wayne

plans to be active in Super Sonic as

much as possible. “I won‟t be too far

away,” says Wayne. Thank you, Wayne.

Wayne represented Super Sonic at the

San Diego City Hall meeting, showing

our support for the World Beat Center.

Furthermore, he is always willing to

provide assistance to individual mem-

bers when needed. He is our unsung

hero. Wayne was asked how he has seen

Super Sonic grow and develop into the

group that it is today. He replied,

“Super Sonic has never coordinated the

music with the dancing, until recently.”

This has been a major milestone for Su-

A Samba School Lesson

Wayne (cont.)

Page 2 The SWIRL

The Rio samba schools usually have

two physical locations. There are the

samba halls, where people of all ages

gather to play, dance, and learn the

school‟s enredo (theme song) for the

year. The school‟s administrative cen-

ter and president are typically present

there as well. Often, these are located

in very poor and sometimes dangerous

parts of town (favelas). There are also

facilities for the production of the

floats and costumes. Since 2005, all of

the major Rio samba schools have

their production facilities in the same

location, Samba City, which is open to

the public.

Many of the Rio samba schools were

originally part a soccer club in their

area. The samba schools represent the

community spirit of a neighborhood

and bring a sense of belonging. They

are truly an integral

part of people‟s lives

and have tremendous

community support,

with thousands of peo-

ple showing up to re-

hearsals, samba

nights, and carnival

preparations. Some

are politically involved, too. The

schools raise money from ticket sales

to their samba nights, television

broadcasts, and dance events, as well

as sponsorships.

Jorge Alabe, who also performed in

Clarksburg, eluded that SSSS dancers

captivated the crowd. “I was very

proud of them. Their fantasias were

sharp, the dance routines were fantas-

tic. I wish SSSS the very best and look

forward to performing with them in

the future”, remarked Jorge. With

that being said, the Tres Rainhas da

Bateria of SSSS was tailor made for

this premiere event.

The Rainhas experienced a few short-

falls at the Carnival event but despite

the technical and personnel miscues,

they were versatile with the changes

and remained consummate profes-

sionals. “I‟m still in awe of how won-

Credit is owed to Courtney as the cu-

rator for the Tres Rainhas dance rou-

tines, while serving as liaison with the

Carnival coordinator. “I alumed at UC

–Davis, and was cognizant of the

small but potent Brazilian enclave in

Sacramento.” Courtney said. “They

invited me to perform and I was able

to recruit SSSS‟s current and former

Rainhas, to share the stage with me.

We conducted additional rehearsals,

outside of the regularly scheduled

SSSS practices. Our preparations paid

off because we were so organized, pro-

fessional; we amazed the onlookers.”

World class Brazilian percussionist,

and northern California resident

derful, astonishing, and breath-taking

our performance and costumes were.”

In context to an organization ascend-

ing to another level, SSSS reached

new heights to gaining exposure and

providing quality performances. The

performance in Clarksburg is a tell

tale sign that

in the future,

we will return

to northern

California to

perform.

Samba School (cont.)

Very First Time (cont.)

June

29th– LA Culture Festival

July

20th– San Diego Pride

May

5th– Spring Quarterly Meeting

18th– Beach Soccer Championships

24-26th– SF Carnival

Gigs/Events/Socials

Volume 1, Issue 3 Page 3

If you have any

ideas for gigs/

events/socials,

let the Board

know.

Super Sonic Samba School Quarterly Member Meeting 2/18/13

Attendance – Courtney Carter (C), Wayne English (VC), Michael Martin Jr. (Sec), Lily Gonzalez (Treas), Olia Gai-

darenko (Music Dir.), Monique Guzman (Dance Dir.), Eleodora Andreatta (Board Member)), Dina Bedenko (Dancer),

Manuel Pacheco (Drummer), Shane Kabrimi (Dancer), Jamie Carillo (Drummer), Kia Scott (Dancer), Rodolfo Bambill

(Drummer), Sara Rosenthal (Dancer), Dave Cannon (Drummer), Carlos Clemente (Drummer), Ricky Persky (Drummer)

STARTED – 3:00PM

I. Reflections:

Courtney solicited feedback from the members regarding their Carnival and Mardi Gras experience, asking whether we

would want to participate again. As for Carnival, the answer was a unanimous 'yes." Frustration with the organizers of

Mardi Gras was expressed by many. The issues brought up by members were: 1)We got the contract very last minute, too

late for negotiations 2)We were asked to do too many performances, and were only given chips and dip for sustenance 3)

The crowd was, as usual, out of control. The event did not provide sufficient security to help the dancers feel comfortable,

and did not allow us to bring our own 4)There was a last minute argument over how many of our members would be al-

lowed inside, causing us to turn away some of our volunteers.

To prevent this situation from occurring again, we decided to come up with strict guidelines for this event, as well as all

events of this caliber, and stick by them. One such guideline will involve demanding a contract a certain amount of time

in advance. If they do not meet our terms, we will not participate. It was agreed that it is important to stand our ground

and demand better treatment, especially since we have risen to a new level as a group and offer a very high quality prod-

uct.

Olia and Monique shared their excitement and gratitude for the teamwork exhibited by the group in helping everything

come together this Carnival/Mardi Gras season, as well as for the members' dedication and putting on a truly amazing

show. Several people shared the unanimous praise from other community members, stating that this is the best they

have ever seen Super Sonic do.

Courtney explained that our last board meeting was a closed one, during which the board members reviewed their re-

sponsibilities, compared them to their expectations of their role and the roles of other board members, and gave an as-

sessment of themselves and the board. She then invited other members to share in the same manner, assessing their

roles and sharing their personal goals within the group. Several members did so.

II. Leadership

We elected two new members to the board, while Boaz Bell stepped down. Maile Aguerre is our new Vice Chair, Kia Scott

was voted in as General Board Member. Wayne was relieved by Maile but will remain close to the board for general ad-

visement. Courtney thanked all who stepped up to self promote themselves in to office, as well as those who were nomi-

nated.

Olia gladly congratulated the drummers on an amazing performance during Mardi Gras and Carnival. She is happy with

the drummer‟s overall musicianship, and apparent progress of the drummers‟ ability to play with complex choreography.

Olia concluded with the announcement of Ailton Nunes, of Escola de Samba Mangueira, will be hosting a workshop in

April.

Monique proudly introduced and congratulated SSSS 2013‟s Rainha da Bateria, Dina Bendenko. Three Rainhas of SSSS:

Courtney, Dina and Monique, will be traveling to Sacramento CA, to represent SSSS, for a Brazilian Carnival. Monique

stated she will be creating new choreography to go along with the new Mangueira material Olia will be teaching the

drummers. She proposed SSSS consider reaching out to the community, at the same time, building the nucleus of the

dancer group, in the form of taking field trips to LA, and beyond, for the sake of teaming up with other samba schools,

particularly, observing other Samba dance instructors.

III. School business

Monique reports the T-shirts were ordered at $15.00 apiece; she asked that the Board approve her notion to collect the

money from individual members and SSSS will cover the difference (if there is one). Courtney announced the quarterly

newsletter will be out this week. Carlos informed the Board the SSSS website is in progress; he will provide the Board

with an in depth assessment of the progress at the end of the month. Our campaign to create an Enredo continues.

Courtney asks that those who volunteered to write the song provide an update at their earliest convenience. The SSSS

member‟s welcome packet was deferred to the next Board meeting.

IV. Financial update

General - $450.79

Dancers - $462.56

Drummers - $84.56

Total - $997.91

Monique briefly covered the purpose of the ghost account. If an active member of SSSS is required to purchase a costume

in order to participate in a gig, they may be eligible for reimbursement. Every time this individual participates in a paid

gig, the portion that they help earn is calculated into their ghost account balance. The performer may ask to be reim-

bursed for the amount that is in their ghost account when they are an active member of the group and SSSS has suffi-

cient funds

We are asking for volunteers to staff and coordinate the Battle of Bateria fundraiser. The fundraiser topic for Teresa„s

feathers will no longer be pursued; members agreed the payout for the feathers were sufficient. The three dancers travel-

ing to Sacramento (Courtney, Dina and Monique) requested the Board approve a $100.00 gas gratuity – the Board ap-

proved the gratuity. Kia volunteered to assume the lead, as Gig Coordinator for the upcoming San Francisco Trip.

V. Gigs

Olia graciously informed us of an opportunity to perform in a San Diego World Beat Center sponsored Carnival in Ti-

juana, Mexico, on March 24, 2013. The Board and the members in attendance approved on this decision to perform in

Mexico; details pertaining to this project will be circulated in the near future. Dina enthusiastically announced we have

the chance to perform for a non-profit cause. She will keep the Board abreast with the details surrounding the proposed

gig. A small group of drummers was asked to perform at a memorial service in Borrego Springs on March 9, , 2013.

SSSS is continuously in search of sustaining and in some cases, refining our approach to conducting business; therefore

in order to advertise events to the SSSS group, a few ideas spawned from the collaborative effort of the member‟s; we

agreed to continue post the events on Facebook and our member‟s list Gmail, additionally, the group leaders will promote

the events at each practice, and take a vote as to whether or not the group desire‟s to perform in the gig.

VII. Announcements

The SSSS California Brazil Camp scholarship recipient for 2013 is Courtney Carter. Wayne briefed the work study pro-

gram for the CBC to the member‟s. He urges us to reach out to others, in hopes of forming a group to attend the camp;

and for those who are considering going, to make haste with getting started on the applications.

VII. Misc.

There is nothing to report at this time.

Ended at 441pm

Super Sonic Samba School

San Diego, CA