Joãosinho Trinta remembered

Perhaps better than anyone, Trinta understood the essential Carnival concept — that for one day, even a beggar can become a king. In an old television interview on TV Globo, reprised recently on the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper’s website, Trinta said:

“To me, Carnival is the only moment of unreality, the only moment
when you have to escape from the day-to-day of common things and
leave for a moment of emotion, beauty and unreality.”

Salgueiro [1963-1975:

In 1963 he was introduced to art of Rio Carnaval Salgueiro
Carnavalesco

Arlindo Rodrigues
It was there that he began his passion for carnival and he won the championship as an assistant in 1965, 1969 and 1971.. Ten years later, when his godfather left school, he assumed the role of Carnavalesco. In 1974, Trinta earned his first title, with the theme "The King of France in the Haunted Island." The following year he became champion with "King Solomon's Mines."

Beija-Flor [1976-1992]:

Beginning in 1976, as part of  Beija-Flor Samba School, Joãosinho Trinta became heralded for his wizardry in  transforming the huge Sambadromo carnival with floats and luxurious costumes.

Indeed, the history of Beija-Flor could be divided into two parts: before and after Trinta. It was here with Beija-Flor where Trinta established himself as the maestro of wonder for Rio Carnaval parades, transforming the huge carnival with amazing floats and luxurious costumes. In 1976 with  ”Dreaming gives Lion King” or the samba-enredo (plot) in honor to the jogo do bicho (the animal game that is an illegal, popular type of lottery gambling in Brazil) that he was credited with the first of three titles in a row followed by “Grandma and the King in the court of the Egyptian  Saturnalia” (1977) and “The creation of the world in the tradition ofNago” (1978).

The blue-and-white Nilopolis again won the 1980  carnival  with the theme “The midnight sun – a trip to Wonderland.” In 1981 with “Carnival in Brazil – the eighth of the seven wonders of the world”, he won second place. and tied for the championship with Imperatiz and Portela in 1983 with “The great constellation of black stars.” The fifth title of champion Beija-Flor was in 1983 with “A large constellation of black stars.” In 1986, new second place with “The world is a ball.”

Mr. Trinta did not win for his most celebrated presentation which came in 1989 when he surprised the public with the plot Ratos e urubus, larguem a minha fantasia (“Rats and vultures, release my clothes”) bringing to the Sambódromo cars and rows full of trash,  in addition to an infamous a replica of Christ the Redeemer as a beggar, the iconic
figure most associated with Rio de Janeiro. Joãosinho  became engaged in a fight with the Catholic Church to take to the Sapucaí his float
carrying beggars with the Christo. Eventually the Cristo had to be
covered with black plastic but to protest the censorship, he placed a
banner nearby reading: “Even banned, look for us. [“mesmo proibido,
olhai por nós]” Having coined the maxim “Those who like misery
intellectual, poor love luxury”, the carnival was applauded for having
done a show that exposed poverty and waste. As Geomar Leite,
president of the Federal District’s Samba School Union, wrote:

Rats and vultures, get out of my costume, the plot of 1989, was a parade of street characters, including beggars, alcoholics, urchins, crazies and vagrants, which denounced the inequalities and destitution of a country at the edge of collapse because of hyperinflation.

The 1989 Beija-Flor presentation only earned the vice-championship or 2nd place -losing to Imperatiz but Joãosinho had become a symbol for the art form of the Sapucaí speaking truth to power and an eternal champion of the parade. As he said the chorus of the samba in Rats and Vultures:
“I am a beggar in life, I am a king in the revelry.”

In the same year, the parade of Joãosinho was also Carnavalesco for
Rocinha in the Access Group, and was champion with the theme “The
splendor of the divine deities.”

In 1989 incensed by model Enoly Lara‘s no-parts covered
apparition, which was taken as a provocation, LEISA  (Independent League
of Samba Schools of Rio de Janeiro) banned “disrobed genitalia.” That
same Carnaval period Joãozinho Trinta again flirted with controversy
with  his enredo Todo Mundo Nasceu Nu (Everybody Was Born
Naked)  showed dancer Jorge Lafond stark-naked on a
float’s top. The 1990 Beija-Flor enredo finished 2nd.

There was another “naked genitalia” violation in 1992 when Beija-Flor,
under Trinta’s direction saw a naked couple  presented on the Sapucaí
Avenida illustrating the theme “There is a point of light in the
wilderness,” which talked about television.

The year of 1992 was also his last year with the blue-and-white
Nilopolis  samba school. Besides the carnival he was associated with the
direction of the project called the “Flower of Tomorrow”, which
supported street children.  There was a charge  of corruption of minors
and condemned for harboring homosexuals and children in poor conditions.
The following year, hurt, he stepped away from the revelry of Rio and
traveled to Portugal, where he performed at the playhouse Casino Estoril.

Viradouro
[1994-2000]:

Trinta returnedto Rio Carnaval, following the one year hiatus, with
Viradouro in 1994 and was responsible the first and only title the
school from Niteroi has ever achieved. At the Carnaval of  1997, with
the theme “Darkness! Light! The explosion of the universe. ” was a great
triumph. It was a comeback of the carnival as well as the 50th
anniversary of the Samba School from acroos the Bay. A year earlier he
had suffered a stroke that left his right arm paralyzed and added speech
difficulties. According Joãosinho itself, the disease had changed his
behavior and worldview. This would also be his last victory at the
carnaval.

Grande
Rio [2001-2004]:

It was  Joãosinho who put a man in the flight to travel the distance of
the Sapucaí in 2001, when he was in Rio Grande Critics said it had
nothing to do with samba but for Joãosinho he was pleased to introduce
an innovation that added a whole new upper layer of possibility to
his art form. The restlessly innovative Joao was never shy about
controversy.

Grand Rio still remains very ambitios to win its first championship.
While Trinta was instrumental in elevating Grand Rio to the top tier of
Rio Samba schools he did not think he could again claim another
championship without reforming the judging process. In 2001 the
President of LEISA was also the cheif patron for Imperatriz.   Luizinho
Drumond, a well-known bicheiro was determined  that his escola
de samba Imperatriz Leopoldinense should  spare no expense in
securing the win of the Special Carnaval parade for the third
consecutive year. Like a number of the other top special samba schools,
Trinta was upset about judging system which favored the LEISA
President’s samba school and contributed to not allowing Grand Rio to
appear in the Parade of Champions. His response was again unprecedented,
a protest parade.

In the carnival of 2004, a new controversy. The theme “Let’s put on a
condom, my love …”, telling the story of condoms, drew protests from
the Catholic Church. . After surveys of the church and the prohibition
of the prosecution, the court ended up releasing the floats that ended
up going through the avenue covered, some with the word “censored”.
Three floats with sculptures illustrating Kama Sutra positions were
covered up  on the recommendation of state prosecutors.   The school was
only in 10th place and Joãosinho was fired days later as Grand Rio
leadership attempted to assert its moral leadership in a good Catholic
community

Vila Isael [2005]:

In 2005 Joãozinho Trinta was hired to resurrect the fortunes of
venerable Vila Isabel who were just emerging from the Access group.
However Trinta  suffered a stroke and could not continue working on Vila
Isabel’s samba story about ships that eventually finished in 10th place.
However in 2006, Vila Isabel led with the enredo “Soy loco por ti
America – The town sings the Latin civilization and took their 2nd
championship title. Carnavelesco

Alexandre Louzada
got credit as creative director.  With an infectious chorus, the theme
song of the Vila Isabel was one of the most made the bleachers singing
and, curiously, was what determined the title. The company PDVSA,
Venezuela’s state oil company, funded the carnival of Vila Isabel with a
donation of at least $900,000 Reals. 

Joãosinho gave the look that prevails today in the parade of samba
schools. Before his impact on the special parade, the highlights were
found primarily on the ground floor with the revelers and the
differences were primarily about the costumes and if they were more
luxurious or inspired than the others. Joãosinho put the highlights on
top of the floats and increased the height of the cars.With Joãosinho
the parade became vertical as well as horizontal. He had long started
doing it in Salguerio, but with Beija-Flor the style was consecrated by
widespread imitation.

Long Live the King of Revelry!

In 2010, Joãosinho Trinta was honored in the enredo [story/theme/plot]
of the Grande Rio Samba School, who celebrated 25 years of the Marquis
of Sapucaí  or the samba stadium called the Sambadromo. The allegory of
the Avenue was alluded to in this story “Of mice and vultures leaving my
fantasy.” Joãosinho Trinta paraded at front of the float, representing
the “King of Revelry.”

Beija-Flor has been preparing for months for its Mardi Gras parade of
2012, which will be dedicated to the state of Maranhão and remembering
native son Joãosinho Trinta with a stanza of its samba-plot.