Paper short abstract:

Brazilian music and dance is performed and listened to in multiple settings in Lebanon today. Using findings from recently conducted field research, I shall examine how this music occupies a unique, ambivalent and sometimes contested space in the Lebanese musical milieu.

Paper long abstract:

Since the first Lebanese migrants arrived in Brazil in the late 19th century, Lebanon and

Brazil have shared a rich history of trade and cultural exchange. Transnational migration has

resulted in a small but significant Brazilian population in Lebanon, which currently numbers

approximately 17,000.

The first encounter with Brazilian music for many Lebanese came in the 1970s, via the bossa

nova-influenced compositions of Ziad Rahbani, and the cover versions of Antonio Carlos

Jobim sung by Rahbani's mother, the iconic singer Fairouz. Today, Brazilian music and dance is practised, performed and listened to in multiple settings, from independent music venues to corporate events and weddings.

Using findings from recently conducted field research in Lebanon, I shall examine how the

performance of Brazilian music and dance by both Brazilian and non-Brazilian performers occupies a unique, ambivalent and sometimes contested space in the Lebanese musical milieu. I will demonstrate how the economics and politics of both independent music scene(s) and the corporate 'gig economy' intersect with broader issues of cultural conservatism, exoticism and stereotyping, resulting in both highly Tropicalist representations of Brazilian culture and the practice of autoexoticism by the performers themselves. Additionally, I shall address how the performance of Brazilian music and dance illuminates anxieties surrounding the dancing female body, as well as how societal attitudes concerning gender and race affect and shape the production, performance and reception of Brazilian music in Lebanon.