Brazilian dance craze created by young people in Rio’s favelas is declared cultural heritage

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — It all started with nifty leg movements, strong steps backwards and forwards, paced to Brazilian funk music. Then it adopted moves from break dancing, samba, capoeira, frevo — whatever was around.

The passinho, a dance style created in the 2000s by kids in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas, was declared in March to be an “intangible cultural heritage” by legislators in the state of Rio, bringing recognition to a cultural expression born in the sprawling working-class neighborhoods.

The creators of passinho were young kids with plenty of flexibility — and no joint problems. They started trying out new moves at home and then showing them off at funk parties in their communities and, crucially, sharing them on the internet.

In the early days of social media, youngsters uploaded videos of their latest feats to Orkut and YouTube, and the style started spreading to other favelas. A competitive scene was born, and youths copied and learned from the best dancers, leading them to innovate further and strive to stay on top.

“Passinho in my life is the basis of everything I have,” dancer and choreographer Walcir de Oliveira, 23, said in an interview. “It's where I manage to earn my livelihood, and I can show people my joy and blow off steam, you understand? It's where I feel happy, good.”

Brazilian producer Julio Ludemir helped capture this spirit and discover talents by organizing “passinho battles” in the early 2010s. At these events, youths took turns showing off their steps before a jury that selected the winners.

The “Out of Doors” festival at New York’s Lincoln Center staged one such duel in 2014, giving a U.S. audience a taste of the vigorous steps. Passinho breached the borders of favelas and disconnected from funk parties that are often associated with crime. Dancers started appearing on mainstream TV and earned the spotlight during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Ludemir describes the style as an expression of Brazilian “antropofagia," the modernist concept of cannibalizing elements from other cultures in order to produce something new.

“Passinho is a dance that absorbs references from all dances. It’s a crossing of the cultural influences absorbed by kids from the periphery as they were connecting with the world through social media in internet cafes,” he said.

Dancing also became a means for youths to move seamlessly between communities controlled by rival drug gangs. It offered young men from favelas a new way out, besides falling into a life of crime or the all-too-common pipe dream of becoming a soccer star.

Passinho was declared state heritage by Rio’s legislative assembly through a law proposed by Rio state legislator Veronica Lima. It passed unanimously and was sanctioned March 7. In a statement, Lima said it was important to help “decriminalize funk and artistic expressions of youths” from favelas.

Ludemir says the heritage recognition is sure to consolidate the first generation of passinho dancers as an inspiration for favelas youths.

Among them are Pablo Henrique Goncalves, a dancer known as Pablinho Fantástico, who won a passinho battle back in 2014 and later created a boy group called OZCrias, with four dancers born and raised like him in Rocinha, Rio’s largest favela. The group earns money performing in festivals, events, theaters and TV shows, and they welcomed the heritage recognition.

Another dance group is Passinho Carioca in the Penha complex of favelas on the other side of the city. One of its directors, Nayara Costa, said in an interview that she came from a family where everyone got into drug trafficking. Passinho saved her from that fate, and now she uses it to help youngsters — plus teach anyone else interested in learning.

“Today I give classes to people who are in their sixties; passinho is for everyone," said Costa, 23. "Passinho, in the same way that it changed my life, is still going to change the lives of others.”

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Youth perform a street dance style known as passinho for their social media accounts, in the Rocinha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The passinho, or “little step”, created in the 2000s by kids in Rio’s favelas, was declared an “intangible cultural heritage” by state legislators, bringing recognition to a cultural expression born in the sprawling working-class neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

FILE - Illuminated by a motorcycle headlight, youth perform a street dance known as passinho in the Rocinha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 11, 2024. The passinho, or "little step", created in the 2000s by kids in Rio's favelas, was declared an "intangible cultural heritage" by state legislators, bringing recognition to a cultural expression born in the sprawling working-class neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

FILE - A boy watches youth perform the street dance style known as passinho in the Rocinha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 11, 2024. Passinho or "little step" began with small groups performing at parties inside Rio's favelas, but has since spread, helping to break the stigma of the communities often known for violence and drug gangs. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

FILE - Youth perform a street dance style known as passinho for their social media accounts, in the Rocinha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 11, 2024. The passinho, or "little step", created in the 2000s by kids in Rio's favelas, was declared an "intangible cultural heritage" by state legislators, bringing recognition to a cultural expression born in the sprawling working-class neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

FILE - Reflected in a motorcycle side mirror, a woman performs a street dance style known as passinho, in the Rocinha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 11, 2024. Passinho or "little step" began with small groups performing at parties inside Rio's favelas, but has since spread, helping to break the stigma of the communities often known for violence and drug gangs. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

FILE - A youth strikes a pose after performing street dance style known as passinho in the Rocinha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, April 11, 2024. The passinho, or "little step", created in the 2000s by kids in Rio's favelas, was declared an "intangible cultural heritage" by state legislators, bringing recognition to a cultural expression born in the sprawling working-class neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

FILE - Youth perform a street dance style known as passinho, in the Rocinha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 11, 2024. Passinho or "little step" began with small groups performing at parties inside Rio's favelas, but has since spread, helping to break the stigma of the communities often known for violence and drug gangs. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

Youth perform a street dance style known as passinho for their social media accounts, in the Rocinha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The passinho, or “little step”, created in the 2000s by kids in Rio’s favelas, was declared an “intangible cultural heritage” by state legislators, bringing recognition to a cultural expression born in the sprawling working-class neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s congress voted Tuesday to ban bullfights in the South American nation, delivering a serious blow to a centuries-old tradition that has inspired famous songs and novels but has become increasingly controversial in the countries where it is still practiced.

The bill calls for the banning of bullfights in a three-year span, making the tradition illegal by the start of 2028. The new law now needs to be signed by President Gustavo Petro, who has been a longtime opponent of these events.

Bullfighting originated in the Iberian Peninsula and is still legal in a handful of countries, including Spain, France, Portugal, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico.

It was once a popular event, broadcast live by multiple television networks. But the tradition has come under increased scrutiny as views change about animal welfare, and many find it unacceptable to see an animal suffer for entertainment's sake.

“This ban is a huge victory for organizations that have worked to transform society and reject violence against animals," said Terry Hurtado, an animal rights activist and city council member in Cali, who has been leading protests against bullfights since the 1990s. “I feel relieved that bulls and horses (which also participate in some bullfights) in Colombia will no longer be tortured, and that children will no longer be exposed to this spectacle.”

In bullfights, a matador faces bulls that are bred to be aggressive. The matador taunts the bull with a red cape and kills the animal with the blow of a sword after it has been injured with lances and daggers, and is tired of charging at the matador in a circular arena.

In Colombia, where bullfights have been held since colonial times, less than two dozen municipalities continue to hold these events, although the annual bullfights in the city of Manizales still draw tens of thousands of spectators.

Bullfighting aficionados described the ban as an assault on the freedoms of minorities as well as a problem for cities where these events draw thousands of visitors.

Demonstrators take part in a vigil holding posters with messages that read in Spanish: "No more culture of violence" during a protest against bullfighting, which has been temporarily suspended as Congress debates its legality, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Demonstrators take part in a vigil holding posters with messages that read in Spanish: "No more culture of violence" during a protest against bullfighting, which has been temporarily suspended as Congress debates its legality, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Demonstrators take part in a vigil holding posters with messages that read in Spanish: "No more culture of violence" during a protest against bullfighting, which has been temporarily suspended as Congress debates its legality, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

A protester places a poster of a bull with a message that reads in Spanish: "No more culture of violence" near a glimmering of candles, during a protest against bullfighting, which has been temporarily suspended as Congress debates its legality, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)