São Paulo – The modernity, riches, culture and luxury of Dubai are sung in the tune that Gaviões da Fiel samba school will take to Samba Avenue in São Paulo on March 6. The history of the emirate, which is currently attracting tourists from all over the world, was the inspiration for their song. All of the 26 blocks, five parade floats and 3,500 participants will spend 40 minutes on the avenue, singing "From the Sea of Pearls and Sands of the Desert to the City of the Future. Dubai, the dream of King Maktoum".
To illustrate the phases of the history of Dubai, Gaviões da Fiel should enter the avenue with its first parade float, 30 metres long, illustrating the bottom of the sea, from where pearls were collected, the first riches of the emirate. Recalling the legends of Dubai, women will be dressed as nymphs and men as fishermen.
Each block will bring a new chapter. The discovery of oil, investment in mega-constructions, luxury hotels, modern architecture, artificial islands, forts and museums, gold and diamonds. All of this will be represented in the parade floats and costumes, which are very colourful and bring copies of tourist points on the heads of the dancers.
If the opening shows the beginning of the history of Dubai, the second float will show the mixture of peoples, religions and the formation of the Maktoum kingdom. After that it is time for the success reached by the ruler of the emirate, who invested in education and daring architecture.
The tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, will not be forgotten, neither will Burj Al Arab, Dubailand theme park, the artificial islands in the shape of palm trees, the sands of the desert, camels and spices.
The costumes, with many feathers and gloss will also show sports events, cinema festivals, technology, Olympic dream for 2020 and the beaches.
Gaviões da Fiel, from Bom Retiro neighbourhood, has already won the São Paulo city samba school competition four times, as well as being the runner up twice.
*Translated by Mark Ament