Focus:
Since 2015, Dr. Filippo Bonini Baraldi focuses on Maracatu de baque solto, a largely understudied performance/ritual occurring in the rural interior of Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil), and historically linked with seasonal rituals of northern Portugal (Caretos). Before and during Carnival, sugarcane workers living in the “Zona da Mata Norte” region feel particularly vulnerable to illness.
Aims:
To contribute to an emerging research question that is drawing increasing attention of both cognitive and social scientists: how are music and dance used in different societies to arouse emotions, enhance well-being, prevent and even treat illness?
Findings:
Previous field research conducted in this region (2015-2018) has suggested that they explicitly relate corporeal dysfunctions to feelings of envy and jealousy generated by rivalry. My hypothesis is that sounds, dance, and group choreographies are intended as a way to protect the individual and the community from the harmful effects of these feelings.
You can find more about the research of Filippo Bonini Baraldi here
Readings:
Davies, M. E. P.; Fuentes, M.; Fonseca, J.; Aly, L.; Jerónimo, M. & Bonini Baraldi F.
2021 (submitted) – “Multi-modal recordings of Maracatu “de baque solto” (Brazil): technical concerns and preliminary analyses”, in Proceeding of The First Symposium First Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Sound, Movement, and the Sciences”, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
2020 – Moving in Time: Computational Analysis of Microtiming in Maracatu de Baque Solto, in Proceedings of the 21st Int. Society for Music Information Retrieval Conference, Montréal, Canada: 795-802.