Nayara Henriques
Opened on February 16, 1963, the Gelorama de Ipanema was the darling of summer. The ice-skating rink was built at the Casa de Nossa Senhora da Paz along with a bar and a dance floor. It was such a success that the Gelorama appeared in the “Página de Verão” special of the Jornal do Brasil, on January 26, 1964, as one of the city's main attractions.
According to Friar Leovigildo, president of Casa de Nossa Senhora da Paz, the purpose of the ring was to raise funds for the construction of social halls with a library, games and a discotheque, as well as the construction of a new church. The parish wanted to become a true community gathering space, following the example of many churches in the United States.
Gelorama was brought from São Paulo and quickly became an option for hot Rio de Janeiro nights, as it even featured air conditioning. What was a leisure option also became a sports center, with classes for adults and children, as well as artistic performances, operating from 4 PM to 11 PM.
The basement of number 351 Visconde de Pirajá Street was never the same again: everyone wanted to feel like Sonja Henie, the Norwegian figure skater and actress who was enormously successful at the time, or like Fred Astaire, the American dancer and actor who was at the height of his career. Not even fashion editorials escaped the
Gelorama
...launching the trends to stand out on skating nights.
"The world of Ipanema is complex, strange, subtle," wrote journalist Carlos Leonam, "A TV station. The chilled mass at N. S. da Paz. The eternal chope at the Zepelin. Ice skating. The little tram at the Praça. The sauna. Yllen Kerr's mustache. Pirajá's fleas [...] And many other things that lie beneath and beyond our vain philosophy, including Rubem Braga's grumpiness."
Image description: This is a three-dimensional photograph of three side-by-side images showing people ice skating. The first image, on the left, shows a single woman skating alone. In the second image, in the center, two women are skating together, holding hands and performing a synchronized move. In the third image, on the right, another pair of skaters is in action, with a man and a woman dancing together on the ice. All the images are black and white, captured in an indoor setting with lighting fixtures and benches in the background.Sem autoria.
Pista de gelo convoca as Sonja Henie cariocas
. Jornal do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, 20 de fevereiro de 1963, Caderno B, p. 6. [Edição 00043 (1)]. Acervo Biblioteca Nacional.