Belo Horizonte
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Belo Horizonte (Portuguese for "beautiful horizon") is the capital of Minas Gerais state, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third-largest metropolitan area in the country. Belo Horizonte or "Beagá" as it is more familiarly known from the sound of its initials BH in Portuguese; has a population of almost 3 million and over 5 million in the official Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte.
Culture
There are many notable Brazilian artistic groups which have its origins in Belo Horizonte. Grupo Corpo, which is perhaps the most famous contemporary dance group in the country, was created in the city in 1975, travel internationally and are acclaimed throughout the world. Giramundo is an important group, specialized in performing puppet shows. They maintain the museum of the puppets they created since their foundation in 1970, first launched a complete album in 1981, and has released 11 works since that year. Another innovative artistic group is Uakti. They create their own musical instruments using materials like PVC, wood, metals and glass. The origin of their name is based in a myth by the Tukano Indians, and reflects the indigenous feeling present in their works. Many important rock groups were founded in Belo Horizonte, being among them Jota Quest, Pato Fu, Skank, 14 Bis, Sepultura and Tianastácia.
Clube da Esquina is a musical movement that originated in the mid 1960s, and since that time their members have been considered influent in Minas Gerais culture and have important artists such as Tavinho Moura, Wagner Tiso, Milton Nascimento, Lô Borges, Beto Guedes, Flávio Venturini, Toninho Horta, Márcio Borges, Fernando Brant and 14 Bis, among others. Every two years, the city realizes the FIT BH, The International Theater Festival of Belo Horizonte, which attracts artists from all over Brazil and many parts of the world. In 2006, there was an extreme sports event in Belo Horizonte with a slogan that became very popular in Belo Horizonte: "Eu amo BH radicalmente", or "I love Belo Horizonte radically."
