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About us
What is "Liberdade"? photo image

"Liberdade" is a large samba team in Tokyo. The official name of the team is "G.R.E.S. Liberdade" which follows the convention of the G.R.E.S.s in Brazil. G.R.E.S. stands for "Gremio Recreativo Escola de Samba" which in Portuguese means "Recreative Society: School of Samba". But this is not exactly like any school or class. Rather a G.R.E.S. is a group of those who love samba that get together to enjoy dancing, playing and singing. Although one of the main purposes of forming a samba group in Tokyo like Liberdade is to join the "Asakusa Samba Carnival" ( see below ) , we always remember that the most important goal is just to enjoy samba!

 What is the Asakusa Samba Carnival?

Every summer, on the 4th or 5th Saturday in August, some 30 samba teams of many sizes, parade down an avenue in one of Tokyo's most traditional areas, just like Brazilians do in Rio de Janeiro. Although the scale of the carnival is one tenth of the original one in Rio, it is definitely the largest and hottest samba carnival in Japan and is one of the largest ones in the world outside Brazil.
This carnival started in 1981, and is constantly growing every year. Today there are about 4500 people participating in 35 groups and 500,000 spectators jam along 800m stretch of avenue to watch this spectacle.
Our group, Liberdade has joined this Carnival every year since 1991, when some 20 of our original members first formed the group.
The Asakusa Carnival is actually a contest. So all the groups are divided into three leagues, which are :Top ranking samba league ( A league ), Second ranking samba league ( B league ) and Entertainment league.  Prizes are awarded to the best three teams in each league.
To belong to the "Top samba league", it is necessary for a team to pass certain qualifications for entry into the league. "Liberdade" has been in the Top league since the three-league system was started and has won second place three times so far.
Unfortunately we have not won first prize yet, but in a sense, it means that we are lucky to still have the pleasure of "looking forward to that most joyous moment."

 Joys of Samba

The powerful and vigorous sound of the massive percussion will thrill you!
The dancers dynamic and energetic movements in beautiful costumes will fascinate you!
The splendor of the decorated floats will enchant you!
The sensation of samba always spreads and involves everyone around.
It is fun to be a spectator, but it is more to be IN samba!
Imagine that you are the one who is the epicenter of this excitement!
And it is also wonderful enjoyment to make something great in cooperation with many friends!

 Are you interested in joining the team?

Anybody can join the team.
We always welcome new members.
There are about 150 members ( dancers, percussionists, etc. ), men and women, young and old, with variety of social backgrounds.
Don't worry if you are a total beginner. Many expert members are willing to show you how.
We have a lot of parades, shows, and parties other than "Asakusa". Though the summer is the busiest season, we are active throughout the year.

Notes
Practice sessions are held approximately twice a month, basically on the 1st and 3rd Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In summer, there will be several additional practices.
These are held at studios in Tokyo, but the locations will vary as we don't have our proper studio. Please check the schedule page of our website, or ask via e-mail.
( Most of the practice sessions are at a studio in Jujo, which is in Kita-ku. The nearest train station is "Jujo" on the Saikyo line or "Higashi Jujo"  on the Keihin Tohoku line. )
Membership fee is 1,000 yen and valid until you quit.
Annual fee is 2,000 yen.
The Studio fee is 500 yen each time you attend a practice session.
If you want to participate in the Asakusa samba carnival, you will have to buy a costume. The prices vary according to the role you play in the parade, but basically it is about 10,000 yen to 20,000 yen.

Seeing is believing. Anyway, don't hesitate to come over and see the regular practice sessions.

For further infomation : e-mail us -- toiawase(at mark) gres-liberdade.com
(please change the part in ( ) into "at mark" manualjy. It's against the robot--sorry for inconvenience)


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