Join Viver Brasil for our BAHIA TRAVEL PROGRAM: Roots and Contemporary Development of Afro-Brazilian Dance & Music Workshop

August 1 – August 16, 2008
Package Price: $3395, based on double occupancy
***Just added! Day trip to the São Paulo Museu Afro Brasil (details below)

Viver Brasil Dance and Music Programs (VBDMP) has designed an intensive 15 day trip to Salvador, Bahia, offering nine days of classes in which participants may choose to study Afro-Brazilian dance or percussion.  All participants attend song class for dancers and musicians. The program is enhanced with visits to Candomblé ceremonies, concerts, festivals, day trips and encounters with many of Bahia's most unique dancers, musicians, visual artists, researchers and culture makers.   You will have time to do your own exploring, sample Afro-Brazilian cuisine, have a cowry shell reading, relax at the beach, shop for instruments, gemstones, art and enjoy the magic of Salvador, Bahia. 

The classes will be taught by many of Bahia’s top dance and music instructors:  Gilmar Sampaio, Mestre King, Rosangela Silvestre, Silvia Rita, Jose Ricardo Sousa, Nildinha Fonseca, Amelia Conrado, Pacote of Olodum, Mario Pam of Ilê Aiyê  and other special guest instructors.

• Visits to Candomblé ceremonies
• Rehearsals of Salvador's top carnival groups
• Lecture with Candomblé dance, music and history specialist, Dona Cici, from the Pierre Verger Foundation  
• Attendance at performances of the SENAC Folkloric Show, the Balé Folclorico da Bahia, and the Vila Velha Theater
• A visit to to Bloco afro Ilê Aiyê's dynamic cultural center
• Tours to visual artists' studios and gem shops
• A visit to Terreiro Axé Opô Afonjá to meet Dona Detinha, orixa doll maker and storyteller from one of the most revered Candomblé Ketu houses
• Travel to Cachoeira for the Festival of Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte
• Participate in a traditional samba party at the home of Joselita da Silva.

In addition, many of Salvador's beautiful beaches are just a short walk and/or bus ride from our hotel. Hotel Marazul in Salvador, Bahia is located in the Porto da Barra neighborhood  directly across from the beach and a 15 minute bus ride to the Pelourinho, our workshop location.  The hotel offers a  delicious buffet breakfast  included in the package price.  Each room has a telephone, a mini-refrigerator, an air conditioner, a TV, and the hotel offers internet and laundry services, and has a patio area with a pool. Taxis and buses make regular stops in front of the hotel. Internet cafes are close to the hotel.

Day trip to the São Paulo Museu Afro Brasil. A must see museum before we arrive in Bahia! We arrive in São Paulo on August 2, freshen up in the airport, check-in our bags to Bahia and then go directly to the museum, (don't worry- we will stop for a snack!), lunch in a great restaurant and then return to the airport in the late afternoon for our flight to Salvador, Bahia! Our tour guide, Paula Santos will meet us in São Paulo for this great day at the Afro-Brazilian Museum. Read more about this important cultural institution in the LA Times link or visit the museum's website.

Registration Information

Registration Forms are available on our website. Please download and complete the form and submit it with a $400 deposit.  Registration is not complete until the deposit is received.  Upon receiving your registration, we will send you an information package that will include general travel information, program itinerary, list of Brazilian consulates in the US, and flight information.  Please note that the itinerary is subject to change if necessary.  Some activities listed as "optional" on the itinerary are intended to supplement the established program.  An additional fee payable to the activity site may apply.

Registration for the travel program is available through Viver Brasil Dance and Music Programs.  Package price includes travel from LA, NY or Miami to Brazil, airport transfers, all course-related activities and events, translators, double occupancy accommodations (upon availability) and breakfast. If you are traveling from a city other than LA, Miami or NY, you will be responsible for flight costs from your departing city.

Bahia Travel Progam package cost is $3395 based on double occupancy (upon availability). Hotel single supplement is available for an additional cost of $500. 

August 1–Depart to Brazil / August 16– Return to US

Payment dates: 
Upon registration:  $400 check or money order. Deposit is non-refundable. 
Final payment due on June 15, 2008.

Travel Visas:  American travelers will need a valid passport and will need to apply for a tourist visa to Brazil at a Brazilian consulate.  A list of consulates and fees will be provided for participants.  Participants will be charged directly for all visa costs by the issuing Brazilian consulate. 

Viver Brasil Dance and Music Programs (VBDMP) was created by Linda Yudin. VBDMP is committed to providing its participants with a unique opportunity to experience Afro-Brazilian culture outside the usual tourist context.  Since 1997, more than 500 people have taken advantage of this opportunity and many return year after year.

Viver Brasil Staff

How To Reach Us

Quotes from Past Participants

“Viver Brasil brings to life the magic of Bahia through personal and intimate encounters with the most knowledgeable and progressive artistic and cultural authorities in Salvador.  A humbling experience that lasts a lifetime . . . ” - Kimberly Mullen, Dancer/Choreographer

“I was familiar with samba/bossa before attending but I had NO IDEA what I was getting into. I could truly never express how enriching and eye-opening this program was for me. I sing the songs that I was taught on a daily basis . . . and I attended over a year ago!!! I cannot express my gratitude to Linda and Viver Brasil for a life-altering experience.” - Chris Burton Jácome, Flamenco Guitarist

“As a seasoned traveler, I was very excited, impressed, and surprised with the uniqueness of this trip. Linda Yudin organizes a spectacular adventure while sharing her energy, knowledge, and dear friends with everyone. The places, people, and events that Linda exposed us to was more than any traveler could do on their own.”
- Margrethe Schibig, Librarian/Dancer

Coming Soon!

Rosangela Silvestre in residence in Los Angeles February 22-March 23, 2008

Rosangela will guest teach in Badaro's Tuesday night class at Dance Arts Academy Symbols in Motion: Orixa Dance Movement February 26, March 4, 11, and 18 $15/single class 4 class series available during Rosangela's residency: $56 to paid on February 23, 2008. No refunds if you have to miss one of the classes. Please check our website for updates for additional classes with Rosangela in the Silvestre Technique (a Brazilian modern dance technique) and Symbols in Motion. Rosangela will also be available for private classes. For further information, please email artistic director, Linda Yudin lkyudin@mac.com