CircoSDRUWS

Let the unsuspecting reader not expect trapeze artists or sword swallowers in the description of this "circus," which was set up on the shores of the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon in 1969. The idea of putting on a show under a circus tent was merely an innovative way out found by comedian and musician Juca Chaves to get around the difficulties of the time, marked by repression and a lack of incentives for cultural activities.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a mountainous landscape. On the left side, there is a series of hills covered with dense vegetation. In the center, a large rocky cliff with a human-made structure on its summit. On the right, another hill with vegetation. In the foreground, there is water, possibly a lake or river.

Under the Sdruws tent, the “minstrel of Brazil” gave countless performances of his solo show, a mix of music and satire. The presence of an elite audience in a circus tent set up next to the Catacumba favela stirred curiosity, and to this day, accounts of Circo Sdruws describe Juca Chaves's clever knack for handling the situation — he is said to have invited residents of the community to some performances and poked fun at the wealthy's fear of the dangers of the neighborhood.

By the way: the name Sdruws was born from the merging of the letters S from "snob," D from "divine Dener," R from "ralé" (rabble), U from the nationalized "uanderful" ("wonderful"), W from "water-closet," and S from "Sdruws itself," as the humorist doesn't shy away from explaining.