Chegou a hora do charminho: A construção do imaginário da cultura charme e da identidade charmeira

Abstract

The phrase the time of the little charmer has arrived, trance your body slowly , today known as charm, was coined at a black music dance party in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro in the 1980s. Charm is derived from the imaginary construct of its participants, called charmers. Aside from being considered a specific style of dancing characterized by choreographed steps in a group setting - the narratives of behavior, fashion, style, belonging, pride and negritude permeate the charm culture and the meaning of being part of the group, of recognizing and being recognized. Thinking about the notion of identity and sociality as constitutive in the imaginary construct, we look at charm culture and its participants. We used ethnography and participatory observation as a methodological tool to conduct interviews with viaduct‟ and park‟ partygoers in the Rio de Janeiro suburb of Madureira. This thesis narrates the behavior and practices of sociality that constitute the discourse of charmers, DJs and charm dance event promotors, highlighting the role of territorialities, emotions and the pleasure of participation, as constructs of the imaginary culture and identity of charm