With the arrival of summer, the city begins to fill with music and color, and all its residents prepare to celebrate the biggest party of the year, the carnival. What to some people's eyes might seem like just a parade full of music and joy, is actually a competition where four comparsas fight to obtain the title of “Carnival Champion”.
With the “Atanasio Bonfiglio” Corsódromo as the stage, thousands of spectators witness the parades live and thousands more do so through the official broadcasts carried out by Radio Ciudadana via social networks and on the 87.9 dial, but not everyone knows that there are figures within the passage of the comparsas who are in competition. The growth that the festival has had in recent years, as part of a policy of consolidating the festival as a relevant tourist and cultural event for the city, which has been promoted by the mayor Enrique Cresto and which has been developed together with the comparsas themselves, has attracted new spectators, who highlight the artistic quality of each of the stagings, without everyone necessarily being aware of the details of what the Carnival of Concordia means. Therefore, to help you better understand the Carnival and enjoy its parades, here are some keys to keep in mind and the definitions of the terms most used during the night.
The first thing to know is that each comparsa selects an argument, a story that the group will tell during its development along the avenue of the local Corsódromo. These arguments are selected and each costume, float, and competing figure are part of that story, representing, with their clothing, some element of the argument.
Samba do Enredo: of course, it goes without saying that the samba is the base melody of the Carnival. But samba is not only music but also lyrics, and it is important that the samba composed for the presentation tells the story of the plot or enredo.
Floats: with their ornaments and impressive decorations, they show main elements of the samba enredo and the chosen argument; dancers with spectacular outfits go on them. There is an opening float, another that carries the Queen of the Comparsa, and another for the closing, in addition to the musicians' float.
Comparsa Ambassador: according to the tradition of the greatest festival of the city of Concordia, the figure of the Ambassador fulfills the difficult role of leading the passage of her comparsa through the “Atanasio Bonfiglio” Corsódromo, announcing the deployment of the group along the local avenue. Also, in some cases, it is customary for the Queen who represented the comparsa in the previous edition to take on the responsibility of being the new ambassador.
Front Commission: it is the group of people, usually 10 to 15 dancers, that opens the parade and is in charge of presenting the theme; they are something like the summary of the argument, and their uniformity and choreography must be perfect. In some cases, it tends to be the most theatrical part of the parade.
Master of Ceremonies and Flag Bearer: They are the couple that carries the flag that identifies the comparsa. The flag bearer, traditionally a woman, carries the flag while the master of ceremonies, traditionally a man, parades by her side, drawing attention to her and paying homage to the flag.
Standard Bearer and cordoned dancers: they carry the standard of the comparsa with great skill, with impressive costumes and performing different choreographies.
Comparsa Baton Twirler: a figure that stands out for her very attractive costume and skill with her baton, in addition to her great carnival charisma. She can perform a choreography alone or together with a squad.
Highlights: they are very beautiful allegorical floats that have a visual impact. They must be very original and the figure that carries it stands out for their excellent body expression, carnival charisma, and for interpreting a character in accordance with their float and the general argument.
Comparsa Queen: a beautiful, cheerful woman who shows her femininity, dance skills, and represents all the members of her comparsa. Her costume is imposing; they present great sensuality but above all delicacy in their movements. The Comparsa Queens compete to be the Carnival Queen in each edition.
Female and male dancer: they form a dance couple with unique skills and dexterity in samba, choreography, and body expression. During their performance, they dance together and their uniformity and choreography must be perfect.
Battery: It is the percussion section of each group and is made up of various instruments, in addition to the famous drums, among them the repique, the caixa, and the surdo, and it is the figure that many consider the heart of the comparsa.
Drum Section Queen: is the sovereign of the battery; this position is usually occupied by the best dancer that the comparsa has and who stands out for her passionate samba and unique movements in harmony with her battery. During their passage through the Corsódromo track, they perform a show where they show all their skills in dance, creativity, costumes, carnival charisma, and the passion that characterizes the Concordia carnival.
For many years, the competing comparsas have organized their passage along the local avenue in squads made up of a large number of dancers who present costumes with feathers and matching headdresses, achieving a unique visual harmony. The squads of members must also correspond to the theme or the samba enredo and vary depending on the fantasy they represent.
With this great organization, each comparsa deploys a unique show on the Corsódromo track, full of stories, beauty, glitter, and passion that attract thousands of Concordia residents and tourists who visit the city. Each comparsa tells a story, which is enjoyed from beginning to end.
This Saturday, February 9, the Corsódromo grounds will open at 9:30 PM for the public to enter and at 10:30 PM sharp the parade will begin. The order of the grid will be Emperatriz, Imperio, Bella Samba, and Ráfaga. Advance tickets at a value of $200 can be purchased online at www.concordiacarnaval.com.ar Or personally at Caja Mixta (Quintana 68), from Wednesday to Friday from 8 AM to 1 PM and from 3:30 PM to 7 PM, and Saturdays from 9 AM to 1 PM. At the Corsódromo ticket offices on Saturday, tickets will have a value of $250.