Il Carnivale, a Venetian tradition celebrated for centuries before Ash Wednesday, held

sway at Southwestern College this year with Italian personaggi masks, il cibo and lively music.

“Every year in Venice’s Piazza San Marco, tradition states that a female angel descends from the heavens upon the piazza,” said Surian Figueroa, professor of Italian. “Il Carnivale’s purpose is to bring students of Italian, French, Portuguese and Spanish speaking countries together to learn about each other’s culture, theater and celebrations. At SWC, Il Carnivale is smaller but a beautiful celebration.

Language professors Dinorah Guardiana-Costa, Esther Alonso, Concetta Calandra and instructor Barbara Butler collaborated in providing the art materials needed to make masks commonly used today in Venice, Bergamo and Naples.  Butler, a native of Rio de Janeiro, introduced Brazilian chocolate truffles and cheese bread balls made from yucca flour.

Two Brazilian dance groups, Brazilian Productions and Nós de Chita, entertained students.  Brazilian Productions organizer, Christine Portella invited professional dancers Teresa Bolaños, Dina Bedenko and Irene Balnissi to participate in the festivities.

Claudia Lyra, director of Nós de Chita, had her Brazilian dance troupe sing and perform favorites handed down through tradition.  Julien Cantelm and Dani la Salvia played acoustic guitars. Claudia played the drums while Megan Ribeiro, costume designer, used gourds to replicate Brazilian music.

Thea Riley, a seven-year old visiting from Canandaigua, New York, said she enjoyed the festivities.

“It was fun making a mask”, she said. “The campus is beautiful.”