Dear all,
Just a reminder about our EthNoise session today, April 13th from 5:00–6:30pm CT in Goodspeed 402. We’ll have fried plantains, avocado fries, tostones, empanadas, and nachos! Hope to see you there!
Rachel Chery
Jonah Francese
Jonah Francese
PhD Students, Department of Music
“Baile Donde Quieras”: The Global Politics of Black Dance in Fútbol
Today, April 13th | 5:00–6:30 pm CT
Goodspeed, Room 402
Abstract: On December 22, 2022, World Cup fans tuned in to watch the Round of 16 Brazil versus South Korea. With each passing goal, from Vinícius Júnior’s seven minutes into the game to Lucas Paqueta and Brazil’s fourth goal in the 37th minute, fans watched as players celebrated with samba performances individually and collectively. These celebrations drew both praise and criticism from fans and sports media. The World Cup was the culmination of months of critique in which Afro-Brazilian Vinicius Jr. had faced racism, xenophobia, and criminalization for his celebration dances. While scholars have looked to both dance activism and sports protest in their respective fields, in this presentation, we critically engage with Vinicius Jr. and the Brazil team by bringing music and dance performance literature into sports scholarship, as well as looking to the history of dance within a Brazilian soccer identity.