Lia de Itamaracá | Berlin

Lia de Itamaracá, was born and has always lived on the Island of Itamaracá. The singer, songwriter and dancer is an icon of Northeastern culture, a key figure of the ciranda (typical dance of Brazil) in Brazil and a living heritage of the State of Pernambuco. She influenced the music of Chico Science & Nação Zumbi and of the "Manguebeat" generation, she was honoured by Paulinho da Viola with the verses “I’m Lia from the seashore, “morena” burnt from salt and sun, from Itamaracá Island”, in the composition Eu Sou Lia. CIRANDA Ciranda is a traditional rhythm and dance of the island of Itamaracá. The municipality is part of the metropolitan region of Recife, located at about 50 kilometers from the capital. In several interviews, Lia told how her beat simulates the coming and going of the waves of the sea. According to popular wisdom, the ciranda was sung and danced by the fishermen's wives while they waited for their husbands to return from the ocean. The ciranda dance, hand in hand, has versions all over Brazil and is part of the traditional repertoire of children's dances. According to the “Dictionary of Brazilian Folklore”, by Luís da Câmara Cascudo, the ciranda arrived in Brazil through the Portuguese and Spanish, in the 19th century. Pernambuco musicians such as Chico Science and Lenine incorporated the ciranda in their works. In 2009, the dance was declared an intangible heritage of Pernambuco.