Pending final spring approval, daily trips start in October with seating for 204 passengers.
No word if the cheesy '70s song will be part of the marketing, but – my-oh, me-oh – US Airways is flying to Rio.
Yes, de Janeiro.
Federal officials on Friday approved US Airways' nonstop Charlotte-Rio de Janeiro flight. Pending final approval this spring, the carrier will start daily flights in October, using a Boeing 767 that seats 204 passengers.
The route would be the first nonstop service from Charlotte to South America, although US Airways expects at least 90 percent of passengers to connect in Charlotte from other airports.
For Charlotte travelers, though, the Rio flight provides another option for vacationers who have seen Europe become more expensive because of the dollar's exchange rate, said Nancy Cutter, president of Court Travel in uptown Charlotte.
“South America is very, very overlooked for a lot of people,” Cutter said. “It's been a great value for 15 years.”
Charlotte is US Airways largest hub, and the airline operates more than 80 percent of flights at the airport. US Airways applied for the Rio flight in January, and the U.S. Department of Transportation officials on Friday also approved a Houston-Rio route by Continental Airlines.
Other nonstop international flights in Charlotte include US Airways to Frankfurt, London and – starting April 21 – Paris, and Lufthansa to Munich. US Airways also flies to nearly two dozen destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. The carrier asked the U.S. government in 2007 for permission to fly from Charlotte to Bogota, Colombia, but officials awarded flights to other airlines.
US Airways' international expansion comes as major airlines have seen softer demand for flights in recent months. After cutting domestic service last fall and this year, some carriers now are looking at reducing service to other countries.
US Airways won't start selling tickets for Rio flights or set a date for the first flight until it gets final approval from federal officials, airline spokeswoman Michelle Mohr said. A check of travel Web sites today showed that round-trip fares for Charlotte-Rio flights in October – connecting at other airports – cost about $1,000.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/612204.html
Friday, March 20, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The South of Brazil - Rio Grande do Sul
More North Americans and Europeans visit the South of Brazil than is often imagined. Currently the vast majority are heading for the spectacular waterfalls at Foz do Iguacu and sadly miss the opportunity to take the time to explore the southernmost region of Brazil.
Sub-tropical, both the landscape and the climatic conditions in the south are markedly different to the rest of tropical Brazil. For starters, the south has four distinct seasons including a winter when between July and August, the temperatures dip noticeably.
The southern states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Parana are full of contrasts and surprises. It is the region responsible for Brazil’s fine wines and most of the country’s outstanding beef. It is the region where European influences mix with those of the “gauchos” and the rest of Brazil. It is the region where in the 17th century the Jesuits built their missions alongside the settlements of the Guarani Indians.
The south is home to Curtiba, a town considered to be near perfect by urban planners; to Blumenau, with its distinct Bavarian architecture and Germanic influences, including its own Oktoberfest; to Florianopolis and its outstanding beaches; to Porto Alegre, the largest and best developed city of the southern states and the gateway to the mountain resorts of Gramado and Canela and the Brazilian wine country.
Attractions in the south are equally varied and rewarding and range from the spectacular falls at Foz do Iguacu to the equally breathtaking Itaimbezinho Canyon, the largest in Latin America, from the picturesque railway journey between Curitiba and Paranagua to whale watching off the coast of Santa Catarina; from the mystical rock formations at Vila Velha to the historic missions in Sao Miguel, and from the sought after teaches of Santa Catarina to the majestic highlands.
There is the “Green Coast” of the south, the colonial charms of Parati situated in a setting so beautiful and with colonial architecture so well preserved that it has been referred to as the “baroque pearl of the tropics” in Brazil.
http://www.excitingbrazil.com/riograndedosul.html
Sub-tropical, both the landscape and the climatic conditions in the south are markedly different to the rest of tropical Brazil. For starters, the south has four distinct seasons including a winter when between July and August, the temperatures dip noticeably.
The southern states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Parana are full of contrasts and surprises. It is the region responsible for Brazil’s fine wines and most of the country’s outstanding beef. It is the region where European influences mix with those of the “gauchos” and the rest of Brazil. It is the region where in the 17th century the Jesuits built their missions alongside the settlements of the Guarani Indians.
The south is home to Curtiba, a town considered to be near perfect by urban planners; to Blumenau, with its distinct Bavarian architecture and Germanic influences, including its own Oktoberfest; to Florianopolis and its outstanding beaches; to Porto Alegre, the largest and best developed city of the southern states and the gateway to the mountain resorts of Gramado and Canela and the Brazilian wine country.
Attractions in the south are equally varied and rewarding and range from the spectacular falls at Foz do Iguacu to the equally breathtaking Itaimbezinho Canyon, the largest in Latin America, from the picturesque railway journey between Curitiba and Paranagua to whale watching off the coast of Santa Catarina; from the mystical rock formations at Vila Velha to the historic missions in Sao Miguel, and from the sought after teaches of Santa Catarina to the majestic highlands.
There is the “Green Coast” of the south, the colonial charms of Parati situated in a setting so beautiful and with colonial architecture so well preserved that it has been referred to as the “baroque pearl of the tropics” in Brazil.
http://www.excitingbrazil.com/riograndedosul.html
Black and white and so colorful
About three years ago, Brazilian dance troupe Grupo Corpo stunned a Mondavi Center audience with its sensual, provocative dance "Onqotô."
The theme of the dance was "loneliness, brought on by metaphysical questions like 'Who am I?' or 'Where am I?' " explains choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras, one of six siblings who founded the company in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in 1975.
This Friday, Pederneiras' company returns to the Mondavi Center with another dance that is sure to thrill, delight – and challenge.
Pederneiras describes the work, titled "Breu," as "a poetic translation of the violent, barbarous times we live in."
"Breu" debuted at the troupe's home theater, the 1,700-seat Palácio das Artes in Belo Horizonte, in 2007 and was performed on the East Coast of the United States and in Canada last year.
Joel Lobenthal of the New York Sun described its New York premiere as "a dazzling display of punishing virtuosity" and John Rockwell of the New York Times called "Breu" "a brilliant physical display."
Belo Horizonte, a city of 3 million roughly 300 miles north of Rio De Janeiro and the South Atlantic Ocean, has embraced Grupo Corpo. Indeed, the troupe is the most successful dance company in Brazil – and well-regarded internationally.
Pederneiras has choreographed for the Municipal Ballet Theater of Rio de Janeiro, the City Ballet of Sao Paulo, Les Ballets Jazz Montreal, the Deutch Opera Berlin and the Opera du Rhin in France.
Mixing genres that show the varied influences of Brazilian culture, Pederneiras creates dances that, though grounded in ballet techniques, are basically modern dance, performed barefoot or in regular shoes, and with allusions to such popular dance as Brazilian street dance, ballroom and African dance.
Jeremy Ganter, associate executive director and director of programming at the Mondavi Center, was responsible for bringing the troupe here in 2006 – and in booking its return as quickly as schedules would allow.
"To me, they are the unsung heroes of modern dance," he said. "... They are in the same league as Alvin Ailey in terms of being a group we want to continue a relationship with and bring back. The quality of their dancers is definitely comparable."
In an e-mail exchange, choreographer Pederneiras discussed the dance, his approach to creating and arranging dance and the "Brazilness" of what he does.
"Breu," he says, "is my most radical dance movement in 30 years as a choreographer. In order to express in movement the complex, piercing score by singer and composer Lenine, the dancers and I had to leave behind the sensuality, lyricism and joy that had characterized the group's work since 1992 and initiate new forms of movement."
Asked how that movement differs from his previous works, the choreographer responds: "The forms are harsher, more angular and more powerful than predecessors. The abrupt falls and the painfully slow upward movements of the dancers appear to condemn their bodies to the ground, where they move with the aid of the pelvis, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles and heels."
The accompanying music is "a stimulating babel of sound," Pederneiras says. The original score ranges from hard rock to traditional Brazilian genres. The scenery (by brother Paulo Pederneiras) features huge, cold plaques of shining black tiles.
"The costumes (by Freusa Zechmeister) feature black-and-white leotards that divide the body in half, front to back – the back being solid black so that under the lights, "for split seconds, they seem to become one with the scenery," the choreographer says.
(You can see a short excerpt from "Breu" by clicking on the video link on the Grupo Corpo entry at www.mondaviarts.org.)
Grupo Corpo dance, Pederneiras says, explores a private world, where dynamics and balance have more meaning than movement.
"Our body learned how to dance on the street, and my language is a modern one," he says, "using peculiar forms of Brazilian popular dances in order to create a rhythm vocabulary all my own."
Classical ballet techniques were the basis of his choreography, Pederneiras says, and daily classical training still is woven into his dancers' workout routines.
Pederneiras has largely chosen to use the work of Brazilian composers since 1992. (The only exceptions are Ernesto Lecuono ("the Cuban Gershwin") whose work accompanied the 2006 Mondavi program and Philip Glass whose music accompanies "Seven or Eight Pieces for a Ballet" on this year's program.)
Grupo Corpo tours with a troupe of about 30, and while the economy is affecting the arts in Brazil as it is in the United States, "We didn't change anything because of the economic crisis," he says. "This tour was planned a long time ago."
In Brazil, in addition to performing in Belo Horizonte, Grupo Corpo regularly performs to sold-out crowds at the 2,240-seat Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro and at the 1,130-seat Teatro Alfa in Sao Paulo.
The company had an invitation to perform at the Moscow Dance Festival this year, but the event was canceled because of lack of funding.
The troupe, instead, will "take this opportunity to tour more in Brazil, where we have a big demand," Pederneiras says. "It's a big country and usually we don't have enough time to tour (everywhere we'd like)."
http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/v-print/story/1676490.html
The theme of the dance was "loneliness, brought on by metaphysical questions like 'Who am I?' or 'Where am I?' " explains choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras, one of six siblings who founded the company in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in 1975.
This Friday, Pederneiras' company returns to the Mondavi Center with another dance that is sure to thrill, delight – and challenge.
Pederneiras describes the work, titled "Breu," as "a poetic translation of the violent, barbarous times we live in."
"Breu" debuted at the troupe's home theater, the 1,700-seat Palácio das Artes in Belo Horizonte, in 2007 and was performed on the East Coast of the United States and in Canada last year.
Joel Lobenthal of the New York Sun described its New York premiere as "a dazzling display of punishing virtuosity" and John Rockwell of the New York Times called "Breu" "a brilliant physical display."
Belo Horizonte, a city of 3 million roughly 300 miles north of Rio De Janeiro and the South Atlantic Ocean, has embraced Grupo Corpo. Indeed, the troupe is the most successful dance company in Brazil – and well-regarded internationally.
Pederneiras has choreographed for the Municipal Ballet Theater of Rio de Janeiro, the City Ballet of Sao Paulo, Les Ballets Jazz Montreal, the Deutch Opera Berlin and the Opera du Rhin in France.
Mixing genres that show the varied influences of Brazilian culture, Pederneiras creates dances that, though grounded in ballet techniques, are basically modern dance, performed barefoot or in regular shoes, and with allusions to such popular dance as Brazilian street dance, ballroom and African dance.
Jeremy Ganter, associate executive director and director of programming at the Mondavi Center, was responsible for bringing the troupe here in 2006 – and in booking its return as quickly as schedules would allow.
"To me, they are the unsung heroes of modern dance," he said. "... They are in the same league as Alvin Ailey in terms of being a group we want to continue a relationship with and bring back. The quality of their dancers is definitely comparable."
In an e-mail exchange, choreographer Pederneiras discussed the dance, his approach to creating and arranging dance and the "Brazilness" of what he does.
"Breu," he says, "is my most radical dance movement in 30 years as a choreographer. In order to express in movement the complex, piercing score by singer and composer Lenine, the dancers and I had to leave behind the sensuality, lyricism and joy that had characterized the group's work since 1992 and initiate new forms of movement."
Asked how that movement differs from his previous works, the choreographer responds: "The forms are harsher, more angular and more powerful than predecessors. The abrupt falls and the painfully slow upward movements of the dancers appear to condemn their bodies to the ground, where they move with the aid of the pelvis, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles and heels."
The accompanying music is "a stimulating babel of sound," Pederneiras says. The original score ranges from hard rock to traditional Brazilian genres. The scenery (by brother Paulo Pederneiras) features huge, cold plaques of shining black tiles.
"The costumes (by Freusa Zechmeister) feature black-and-white leotards that divide the body in half, front to back – the back being solid black so that under the lights, "for split seconds, they seem to become one with the scenery," the choreographer says.
(You can see a short excerpt from "Breu" by clicking on the video link on the Grupo Corpo entry at www.mondaviarts.org.)
Grupo Corpo dance, Pederneiras says, explores a private world, where dynamics and balance have more meaning than movement.
"Our body learned how to dance on the street, and my language is a modern one," he says, "using peculiar forms of Brazilian popular dances in order to create a rhythm vocabulary all my own."
Classical ballet techniques were the basis of his choreography, Pederneiras says, and daily classical training still is woven into his dancers' workout routines.
Pederneiras has largely chosen to use the work of Brazilian composers since 1992. (The only exceptions are Ernesto Lecuono ("the Cuban Gershwin") whose work accompanied the 2006 Mondavi program and Philip Glass whose music accompanies "Seven or Eight Pieces for a Ballet" on this year's program.)
Grupo Corpo tours with a troupe of about 30, and while the economy is affecting the arts in Brazil as it is in the United States, "We didn't change anything because of the economic crisis," he says. "This tour was planned a long time ago."
In Brazil, in addition to performing in Belo Horizonte, Grupo Corpo regularly performs to sold-out crowds at the 2,240-seat Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro and at the 1,130-seat Teatro Alfa in Sao Paulo.
The company had an invitation to perform at the Moscow Dance Festival this year, but the event was canceled because of lack of funding.
The troupe, instead, will "take this opportunity to tour more in Brazil, where we have a big demand," Pederneiras says. "It's a big country and usually we don't have enough time to tour (everywhere we'd like)."
http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/v-print/story/1676490.html
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