2010 Notting Hill Carnival

Synopsis

Myths are a part of who we are. They explore our darkest fears and desires, and the very best and noble in all of us. The world of Greek mythology is a rich source of symbols, colours, captivating tales, and extraordinary characters that strike a chord with anybody who was ever told a story, or who was ever young and dreamed. Imagine the delight of a small child as he sees in our parade the unmistakable figure of the bull-headed Minotaur, or snake-haired Medusa… Icarus with his great wings, who flew too close to the sun, Dionysus god of wine, theatre and madness, the Titan Atlas, who holds up the world, or Kharon who ferries the dead across the river Styx into Hades… imagine Aphrodite, the beautiful goddess of love, the nymphs Circe and Calypso, mythical beasts like Pegasus, and Cerberus, the 3-headed dog who guards the gates to the Underworld, wreaking samba through the streets of Notting Hill. Imagine the overwhelming power and awe of the gods as commanded by almighty Zeus, each beat of the surdo echoing in our hearts like thunder…

Presenting, The London School of Samba: “Gods, Myths and Monsters”

London will be captivated by an astonishing display of might and imagination. From the comissão de frente presenting the Gods of Mount Olympus: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo et al… to the bravest, boldest, most disciplined fighting force in all the ancient world, our ritmistas, warriors of Sparta, whose reputation strikes fear into the hearts of their opponents, challenging them to the battle of the batucada… on to the passistas: the Amazons, daughters of the goddess Artemis, fearless warrior princesses led by their queen… and there, rising into the sky from a distance, delivering our coup–de–grâce: that ominous and portentous symbol of Homer’s Iliad, of love and honour, of pride and determination, The Trojan Horse; the London School of Samba will intrigue and amaze the masses — is this an offering to the Gods, or something more sinister? Only our music will tell…

By Chris Bicourt


Costumes

 

Costume designs by Stella Cecil & Chris Bicourt.
Illustrations by Stella Cecil.


Music

 

Gods, Myths & Monsters (2010) from London School of Samba on Myspace.

Music composed by Xavier Osmir (arranged by Paul Rumbol)
With special participation of Bosco de Oliveira

Zeus o deus dos deuses
Divina entidade colossal! (colossal)
Comandava a Grécia Antiga
Dera missões a outros deuses imortais
Forças naturais!
Eram ligadas do sagrado ao profano
Deuses guerreiros que desfilam esse ano
Cantando samba com paixão

E este tema, encantou!
Os espartanos na avenida
Grandes guerreiros de Olímpia
Que a furiosa bateria destacou

Artemis era a deusa que caçava
Afrodite era a deusa do amor
Apolo deus da música surgiu
Dançando samba é carnaval em Notting Hill
Voando como heroi, em busca de aventura
Icarus mostrou a arte e escultura
Out in to the sky, don’t try to fly too high
Assim você no samba cai

As amazonas, la la-ia la-ia
Belas deusas encantadas
Enfrentaram a batucada
Contagiando o samba em pura sedução (em seducão)
A noite gerou o dia – virou magia,
O céu uniu-se ao mar de Poseidon
Com seus poderes Hades traz sonhos e mortes
Sabedoria que Atena inspirou
Oh! Grande Medusa,
Os seus cabelos são de serpentes mortais

Odisséia, o Ciclope, Minotauro o touro forte
É carnaval!

O grande deus do trovão em Olímpia
Voôu – voôu – voôu
Viveu com Hera, a deusa bela
Louvaram deuses em nome do amor!

Translation by Maxine Shorto

Zeus the god of gods
Divine colossal entity
Commanding Ancient Greece
Giving missions to other immortal gods
Forces of nature!
Were connected from the sacred to the profane
Warrior gods who parade this year
Singing samba with passion

And this theme enchanted
The Spartans on the street parade
Great warriors of Olympus
The fierce drummers stood out

Artemis was the goddess of the hunt
Aphrodite was the goddess of love
Apollo god of music appeared
Dancing samba – it’s carnival in Notting Hill!
Flying like a hero in search of adventure
Icarus displayed his art and sculpture
Out in to the sky, don’t try to fly too high
Or else you will fall into the samba

The Amazons, la la-ia la-ia
Beautiful enchanting goddesses
Confronted the batucada
Infecting the samba with pure seduction

Night created the day, it became magic
The sky joined with the ocean of Poseidon
With his power Hades brings dreams and death
Knowledge was inspired by Athena
Oh! Great Medusa
You have deadly snakes for hair

The Odyssey, the Cyclops, Minotaur the mighty bull
This is carnival!

The great god of thunder on Mt. Olympus
Flew, flew, flew
He lived with Hera, who was so beautiful
They honoured the gods in the name of love

London School of Samba – Notting Hill Carnival 2010 – Gods, Myths and Monsters

The London School of Samba (LSS) parade through Notting Hill on August Bank Holiday, 2010, with the theme ‘Gods, Myths, and Monsters’. Coming 2nd in the parade results, as a large, costumed band, LSS has been rocking Notting Hill for 26 years as the first-ever Rio-style samba school in Europe. Check out regular news, samba drumming, dancing and costume & production workshop info at www.londonschoolofsamba.co.uk. Join us as a member for discounted classes and opportunities to perform & parade around the UK and Europe and learn about Afro-Brazilian carnival arts & the great community that comes with all things samba!

Notting Hill Carnival Results

Samba Category: 2nd place
Medium Band Category: 2nd place
Overall: 4th (of 42 bands)

Press

 

Pictures and video of our performance at 2010’s Notting Hill Carnival can be seen in various press articles.
BBC
Guardian