Few Stand Still for Brazilian Carnaval at Palladium

The frigid weather undoubtedly caused some last-minute reconsiderations of tropical costume themes outside the Hollywood Palladium on Saturday, but things warmed up considerably on the packed dance floor at the annual Brazilian Carnaval ’89.

It was mainly a grand party--with face-painting in the lobby, door prizes and costume contests, green and pink balloons at every table, and several costumes that barely met the legal requirement for decent exposure. And the party was savored by the remarkably mixed crowd packing the dance floor--from young mothers walking their toddlers to a healthy contingent of men and women with gray hair in the thick of the action.

The high-energy local group Embra Samba’s set sparked long conga lines snaking through the milling dancers, as the horn section played flashy melodies and tempo changes by the percussionists signaled the transitions between songs.

In contrast, Martinho da Vila’s excellent headlining set strikingly emphasized the seductive lilt of Brazilian samba. The Brazilian’s deep, soothing voice was suited to the medium tempos, and one measure of his prowess was his success at commanding the audience’s attention for the 20-minute a cappella segment that opened his hourlong performance.