Carmen Miranda

So,here I am to tell you about Carmen Miranda.

Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, better known by the stage name Carmen Miranda. (February 9, 1909 – August 5, 1955) was a Portuguese-Born Brazilian Samba singer and actress most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Her family moved to Brazil shortly after her birth. Famous for promoting Brazil in her role as an entertainer, Miranda was a Broadway star, one of the highest-paid artists in Hollywood, and by some accounts the highest-earning woman in the United States. She achieved stardom in motion pictures, cast in musical roles and often wearing a hat topped with tropical fruit, which has become her iconic visual identity. She pursued a career as a samba singer for ten years before she was invited to New York to perform in a show on Broadway. Miranda made a total of fourteen Hollywood films between 1940 and 1953.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Carmen Miranda has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6262 Hollywood Boulevard. On September 25, 1998, a city square in Hollywood was named Carmen Miranda Square in a ceremony headed by long time honorary mayor of Hollywood. Miranda's enormous, fruit-laden hats are iconic visuals recognized around the world. Many costume jewellery designers made fruit jewellery also inspired by Carmen Miranda which is still highly valued and collectible by vintage and antique costume jewellery collectors. Fruit jewellery is still popular in jewellery design today. Much of the fruit jewellery seen today is often still fondly called "Carmen Miranda jewellery" because of this. The "Carmen Miranda" persona is popular among Female impersonators and Drag performers. The style was even emulated in animated cartoon shorts.

I named my dance group ALO ALO for many reasons and Carmen is one of them. She made two movies in Hollywood called Alô, Alô, Brasil and Alô Alô Carnaval. She also recorded a song called Alo Alo Responde, this one I use to play on our shows. The first samba recorded in history is called Pelo Telefone (by phone), Alo is the way we pick up the phone in Brazil and when you say ALO ALO is like to say Hello .So all those things together, Carmen, Phone, Alo, first samba and Alo as a way to say Hello made me decided for this name: ALO ALO!