Going To A Baile Funk In Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas

What is a baile funk, you ask?

Well, it is, in short, a party (in a club, on the street, on the beach, wherever you can congregate a large number of people) where funk music is played (and here the word “funk” should be pronounced “funky”).

What is funk you ask?

Well in Brazil it denotes a genre of music that originated within the favelas (it is referred to commonly as “favela music”) and consists of booty-shaking beats and incredibly vulgar lyrics (every parent’s dream).

Every Sunday there is a baile funk in Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro’s largest favela, and this past week I finally made it out (I also learned that there is a happening after-party in the streets).

Now, I don’t really see what the big deal regarding safety is in regards to these parties; there were plenty of heavily armed security forces prowling through the crowds with handguns and assault rifles – I have never felt safer at a public event.

The dancing at a baile is quite unique and consists mostly of aggressive banging and rubbing of asses on other people. Most notable is the “surra de bunda”.