美国国家公共电台 NPR The Young Men Who Make A Living As Paid Personal Dancers In Brazil

 

(SOUNDBITE OF SAMBA PARADES)

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Ah, yes. Carnival¹ season is underway in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro's traditional samba parades opened yesterday and will continue for the next few days. Millions of Brazilians are also celebrating with informal street parties that will carry on for weeks. There is no better illustration than Carnival of the human need to dance. NPR's Philip Reeves visited a woman for whom that need is so strong, she's digging deep into her pockets to satisfy it.

LUZINETE DE CASTRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE²: Luzinete de Castro was 4 years old when she discovered how much she loves dancing.

DE CASTRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: She'd stand on her dad's shoes and cling onto his belt. She can remember the belt scratching her face. De Castro's now 70. She's still dancing, though with partners of a different kind. Tonight, she's with Bruno Nobrega. He's 30. De Castro's paying him to dance with her. Nobrega used to work in marketing³ but found it hard to make money. He now earns his living as a personal dancer for older women.

BRUNO NOBREGA: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: He says he likes it. So does Luzinete de Castro.

DE CASTRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: "Thank God these guys are here to dance with us," she says. "Are they paid?" she asks rhetorically. "Yes, they are. You expect people to work for free?"

(SOUNDBITE OF TRUMPET⁴ NOTE)

REEVES: We're in northeast Brazil in Recife, a city on the shores of the Atlantic. The people of Recife are widely admired in Brazil for their appetite for fun. This is one of the city's many clubs and restaurants. It's hot, dark and crowded. Guests sit at tables with snacks and bottles of whiskey.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Singing in Portuguese).

REEVES: De Castro and her partner Nobrega step onto the dance floor and glide⁵ across it, smiling broadly. He's in a black suit with an open-neck white shirt. She's wearing a swirling⁶ green floral dress and earrings⁷ made from long, red tassels⁸.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Singing in Portuguese).

REEVES: These two don't really stand out, though. There are plenty of older women here paying to dance with much younger men. Some are in their 80s. De Castro's a retired⁹ civil servant. She says she spent four decades with a husband who hated dancing. He died from a stroke a few years back. She's making up for lost time.

DE CASTRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: "I've been storing up energy for 40 years. And now it's coming out like an explosion," she says. When she started dancing again, she found it hard to find partners. Men usually chose younger women. Now that she's hiring, she's dancing all the time.

DE CASTRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: "Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, sometimes Mondays," she says. No one knows exactly how many young men work as personal dancers in Recife. Estimates vary from 70 to about 300. Everyone agrees the business took off around the time Brazil's economy crashed a few years ago. Personal dancers are hired for four-hour stints¹⁰ for which they're paid the equivalent of between $50 and $60.

RACHYD RIBEIRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: Rachyd Ribeiro is a veterinarian who became a personal dancer to boost his income.

RIBEIRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: He says he's sometimes teased by his medical colleagues. Others become envious¹² when they find out...

RIBEIRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: ...That most months, Ribeiro earns more dancing than in the vet¹¹ surgery. As a personal dancer, he must observe certain rules. No alcohol. Stay off the cell phone. And converse¹³ with clients. Don't wear T-shirts, Bermuda shorts or flip-flops. Ribeiro says he always has three jackets in his car.

RIBEIRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: A light one, a blue one and a dark one to compliment whatever his client's wearing. One other thing - this is not about sex. Seventy-year-old Luzinete de Castro is clear about that.

DE CASTRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: "I dance and have fun," she says. "If you step over the line..."

DE CASTRO: Bye.

REEVES: To emphasize this, she envelops¹⁴ Ribeiro, the vet, in a tango hold.

DE CASTRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: "Forget about anything below the waist," she says, pointing downwards¹⁵. "This is about sensuality, not sexuality." Next month, de Castro's going on a cruise around Europe with a female friend.

DE CASTRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: They're paying a personal dancer to travel with them whom they'll share. He's tall and has a pig tail and is called Jorge da Silva. Da Silva, who's 29, says he's looking forward to the trip.

JORGE DA SILVA: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: Though he admits he's a little nervous. Brazil is, at heart, a conservative society. Luzinete de Castro knows some people disapprove¹⁶ of her behavior. She doesn't care.

DE CASTRO: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

REEVES: "I do what I want to do," she says.

DE CASTRO: (Speaking Portuguese).

REEVES: "Who pays my taxes? Me. Who pays my bills? Me. Who owns my body? Me."

DE CASTRO: (Laughter).

REEVES: Philip Reeves, NPR News.

1 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

4 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

5 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

6 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

7 earrings   

n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子

参考例句：

• a pair of earrings 一对耳环
• These earrings snap on with special fastener. 这付耳环是用特制的按扣扣上去的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 tassels   

n.穗( tassel的名词复数 )；流苏状物；（植物的）穗；玉蜀黍的穗状雄花v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须( tassel的第三人称单数 )；使抽穗， （为了使作物茁壮生长）摘去穗状雄花；用流苏装饰

参考例句：

• Tassels and Trimmings, Pillows, Wall Hangings, Table Runners, Bell. 采购产品垂饰，枕头，壁挂，表亚军，钟。 来自互联网
• Cotton Fabrics, Embroidery and Embroiders, Silk, Silk Fabric, Pillows, Tassels and Trimmings. 采购产品棉花织物，刺绣品而且刺绣，丝，丝织物，枕头，流行和装饰品。 来自互联网

9 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

10 stints   

n.定额工作( stint的名词复数 )；定量；限额；慷慨地做某事

参考例句：

• He stints himself in [of] sleep. 他节制睡眠。 来自辞典例句
• She never stints herself of money to buy books for her children. 她从不吝惜掏钱让子女们买书。 来自互联网

11 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

12 envious   

adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的

参考例句：

• I don't think I'm envious of your success.我想我并不嫉妒你的成功。
• She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。

13 converse   

vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反

参考例句：

• He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
• I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。

14 envelops   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He glued many envelops yesterday. 他昨天用胶粘了许多信封。 来自辞典例句
• Ask your friends or mother and father to save used envelops for you. 让你的朋友或父母为你留下用过的信封。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）

15 downwards   

adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地）

参考例句：

• He lay face downwards on his bed.他脸向下伏在床上。
• As the river flows downwards,it widens.这条河愈到下游愈宽。

16 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。