Alceu Valença (born July 1, 1946 in São Bento do Una, Pernambuco, Brazil) i… Read Full Bio ↴Alceu Valença (born July 1, 1946 in São Bento do Una, Pernambuco, Brazil) is a Brazilian composer, writer, performer, actor, and poet.

Alceu Valenca was born in countryside Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. He is considered the most successful artist in achieving an aesthetic balance between traditional northeastern Brazilian music and a broad range of electronic sounds and effects from pop music. One can find traces of maracatu, coco and "repentes de viola" (improvising fast-paced Brazilian folk music) in most of his songs. Alceu was able to utilize the electric guitar the electric bass, and lately even a synthesizer was added to his broad scope of musical instruments.

Because of that, Alceu was able to recreate Northeastern traditional music, like baiao, coco, toada, maracatu, frevo, caboclinhos, embolada and repentes: all sung with a sometimes rock sometimes alternative sounding music background. His music and his themes are intangible, universal and unlimited. However, his aesthetic basis is genuinely Brazilian Northeastern music.

Forró Calangueado
Alceu Valença Lyrics

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Também fui a um forró em Limoeiro
Tinha gente que não dá pra contar
O forró tava bom tava beleza
Só vocês vendo para acreditar

Eu tirei uma morena pra dançar
Ela veio com uma ginga maneira
Eu dançava forró ela calango

Descobri que a menina era mineira

Todo mundo parava pra olhar
A mineira fazendo exibição
Dançando calango de pé trocado
Eu dançando um forró de Gonzagão
Quando estava amanhecendo o dia
Pedi mais um forró ao sanfoneiro
Ai se misturou lá no salão
O forró com o calango mineiro

(Refrão)

É mineirinho, é maneirinho, é miudinho
Que forró acochadinho
Tão bonzinho de dançar
É mineirinho, é maneirinho, é miudinho

Ouro Preto bate o sino
Que eu respondo no ganzá

Overall Meaning

In Alceu Valença's "Forró Calangueado," the singer reflects on a night he spent at a forró (a Brazilian party with music and dance) in Limoeiro. The forró was packed with people and the music was excellent, so much so that he suggests that you had to see it to believe it. He then recalls dancing with a woman who had a unique style of dancing: while he danced forró, she danced calango. Calango is a dance that originated in the state of Minas Gerais, where the woman was from, and it involves a lot of rapid footwork and intricate movements. The singer was impressed by her skill and noticed that everyone in the room had stopped to watch her dance. As the night went on and the party continued, the singer asked the accordionist to play more music, and eventually, the music of forró and calango mixed, creating a beautiful blend of rhythms.

The song is a celebration of Brazilian music and dance, highlighting how different styles can come together and create something new and beautiful. The lyrics also demonstrate the diversity of Brazilian culture, with people from different regions showcasing their unique styles of dancing. The singer's admiration for the woman's dance also promotes gender equality, as he is in awe of her abilities and doesn't judge her based on traditional gender roles.

Line by Line Meaning

Também fui a um forró em Limoeiro
I also went to a forró in Limoeiro

Tinha gente que não dá pra contar
There were so many people that it's impossible to count

O forró tava bom tava beleza
The forró was good and beautiful

Só vocês vendo para acreditar
You have to see it to believe it

Eu tirei uma morena pra dançar
I asked a brown girl to dance

Ela veio com uma ginga maneira
She came with a cool swing

Eu dançava forró ela calango
I danced forró, she danced calango

Descobri que a menina era mineira
I found out the girl was from Minas Gerais

Todo mundo parava pra olhar
Everyone stopped to watch

A mineira fazendo exibição
The girl from Minas Gerais showing off

Dançando calango de pé trocado
Dancing calango with swapped feet