Showing 1-15 of 15 results
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Bar da Ladeira
Just around the corner from the Arcos da Lapa, this early 1900s house was recently converted into a live samba joint. The large area with its multiple rooms has a small dance floor, a pool table and plenty of little nooks and crannies. The samba bands get going around .
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Beco do Rato
One of Lapa's classic samba spots, this tiny bar has excellent live groups playing to a cheerful crowd. The outdoor seating and informal setting are an unbeatable mix. Marcio, the friendly owner, hails from Minas Gerais; to get the night started, ask him for a tasty cachaça (cane liquor) from his home state. Friday nights are particularly good to catch live samba.
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Bip Bip
For years, Bip Bip has been one of the city's favorite spots to catch a live roda de samba (informal samba played around a table). Although the ambience isn't much to speak of - just a storefront with a few battered tables - as the evening progresses, the tree-lined neighborhood becomes the backdrop to serious, improvised jam sessions with music and revelers spilling out onto the sidewalk. The schedule at the time of writing was samba on Sunday, chorinho on Tuesday and bossa nova on Wednesday. The music usually begins around .
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Canecão
Near the Rio Sul Shopping, Canecão holds big-venue music concerts - rock, MPB, hip-hop - throughout the year. Tickets are available at Ticketronics outlets or at the Canecão box office (cash only).
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Centro Cultural Carioca
This handsomely restored 19th-century theater on Praça Tiradentes is a major contributor to the arts in downtown Rio. Its exposed brick walls and large wood-framed windows form the backdrop to superb musical groups (often samba) performing throughout the week, and also has dance recitals, book releases and ongoing exhibitions. A good option for those wanting to escape the Lapa crowds, the scene much more staid, which makes it a good choice for couples. They also teach dance classes here.
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Centro Cultural Oi Futuro
One of Rio's most visually exciting new additions is this modern arts center on the edge of Flamengo. With 2000 sq meters of exhibition space spread across six floors, the center features temporary multimedia installations that run the gamut between architecture and urban design to photo-journalism to pop art, to eye-catching video art. The top floor houses an auditorium where visitors can attend concerts and plays, or catch a documentary.
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Citibank Hall
Rio's largest concert house tends to change names every few years, but continues to host top International and Brazilian bands. As well as music shows, Citibank Hall stages ballets, operas and an occasional circus. The Hall, which seats around 6000, is in the Via Parque Shopping Center in Barra. Purchase tickets through Ticketmaster.
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Democráticus
Murals line the foyer walls of this 1867 mansion. The rhythms filter down from above. Follow the sound up the marble staircase and out into a large hall filled with tables, an enormous dance floor and a long stage covered with musicians. A wide mix of Cariocas gathers here to dance, revel in the music and soak up the splendor of the samba-infused setting. If you come to just one gafieira in Lapa, Democráticus is a good choice.
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Espaço Sesc
Hosting an excellent assortment of theater and dance performances, Espaço SESC is a bulwark of the Copacabana arts scene. The repertoire tends toward the experimental and avant-garde, particularly during annual dance and theater festivals.
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Fundição Progresso
Once a foundry for the manufacturing of safes and ovens, this building in Lapa now hides one of Rio's top music and theater spaces. A diverse range of shows is staged here, including big-name acts like Manu Chao and Caetano Veloso, as well as theater, video arts and ballet. The foundation is one of Lapa's premier arts institutions, and you can study dance, capoeira and circus arts here.
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Severyna
At night this broad, simple dining hall (c 1950) forms the backdrop to northeastern rhythms. Large percussive groups perform xote (a 2/4 dance style derived from the polka) , and chorinho, among other styles, to a sometimes-packed house. Shows begin at .
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Teatro do Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil
In addition to its exhibitions, this large cultural center in downtown Rio has two stages and a cinema. Film, dance and musical events are often coordinated with current exhibits.
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Teatro Laura Alvim
Across from the beach in Ipanema, this small center stages plays and hosts classical and other live-music styles. It also has art openings, a cinema and an enticing atrium café.
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Teatro Nelson Rodrigues
Inside the wildly modernist 1970s-era Caixa Cultural complex, you'll find one of Brazil's best stages for dance and theater. Also onsite are several art galleries, a lunchtime bistro, gardens and a koi pond.
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Theatro Municipal
This gorgeous art-nouveau theater provides the setting for Rio's best opera, ballet and symphonic concerts. Tickets are available at the box office or at Ticketronics. The theater seats 2400, and sight lines are generally quite good.
Showing 1-15 of 15 results
