Presidents Honorary President Singers Choreographers Directors Mestre-sala and Porta-bandeira Couple History of the Drum Section It didn't take long for the
Cordão Vai Vai to become respected by everyone; its drum section had an unmistakable beat, with its surdos that were played with two drumsticks and zabumbas. At its head came Livinho, the first whistler, master of the drum section and of the cordão until the mid-1940s. Among the notable names of this drum section is Sebastião Eduardo do Amaral, better known as
Pé Rachado, who, after Livinho's departure, became president of the cordão. Pé Rachado commanded Vai-Vai's drum section for three years, before passing command to Wálter Gomes de Oliveira, Pato n'Água, and for two and a half decades presided over the entity. Aiming to meet changes that were emerging in the São Paulo samba scene, in the early 1970s, the president of Cordão Vai Vai, Pé Rachado, sought reinforcements, bringing from Fio de Ouro the whistler Feijoada, who before going to command Fio de Ouro's drum section, went out in Vai-Vai as a drummer, being one of Pato n'Água's disciples. With him also came great drummers to reinforce Vai-Vai's drum section, among them Antonio Carlos Tadeu de Souza (Tadeu Neguinho), who would later become one of the great drum masters of São Paulo carnival. After Pé Rachado passed command to Pato n'Água, he in turn commanded the drum section until the mid-1950s and is to this day considered the whistler of whistlers. After that we had other great names on the whistle, such as Flavinho, Wanderlei, Louzazinho, Bolinha (winner of the golden whistle at Ibirapuera in
1968) and Feijoada, who was the last whistler of the cordão era. Among the great drummers of that time we can highlight José Jambo Filho, better known as
Seu Chiclé, who brought the repinique to the drum section in the mid-1960s; Tinho, who at Ibirapuera won as best drummer soloing on the repinique the song
Pata-Pata, by
Miriam Makeba, in
1970. The school also had other great drummers such as Silas, Agadir, Polenta, Muru, Jacaré, Fala-Grosso, Didi, Tempestade, Evércio, Caveira, Baby Clóvis, Grim, Seu Amaro, Zé Pires, Jotai, Sabino, Bira, Netinho, Esquerdinha, Os Bombeiros, Balbino, Chinês, Ademir Parafuso, Caloi, Mamelão, Zé Carlos, Robertinho, Vadinho, Atilão, Testinha, Pelego, Zé da Ilha, Vilela, Mário Porpeta, Tomás, Dois e Quinhentos, Cinco Merréis, Dez Merréis, Borrão, Os Irmãos Corvos, Muru, São-Paulino, Tacun, Pneu, Paulo Porqueira, Bentinho, Flanela, Gurdura, Pesão, Iza, João Mãozinha, Nelsinho Branca de Neve, Zé Carlinhos, Pastel, Pastelzinho, Zé Pires, among others, with special mention for Roberto de Almeida, known as Geribá; Russinho, who specialized in playing cymbals at the front of the drum section and was successful until the mid-1980s.
Mestre Tadeu In command of the drum section since the 1973 carnival is Antônio Carlos Tadeu, better known as Mestre Tadeu, considered a living heritage of Vai-Vai and São Paulo carnival. Mestre Tadeu arrived at Vai-Vai in the late 1960s, coming from the samba school
Lavapés, one of the oldest in the São Paulo carnival, and shortly afterwards he assumed the position of drum master, where he has remained ever since. Mestre Tadeu has a total of 16 carnival champion titles, the first as a rhythmist when in 1970 Vai-Vai was crowned champion of the cordão group, and the other 15 as drum master of the school in the elite group of São Paulo carnival. He participated in all the titles in Vai-Vai's history after it became a samba school in 1972, an enviable mark that makes him the greatest title collector in the carnival. For 44 years as the school's drum master, Tadeu also holds the record for the longest-serving master commanding the same drum section in the history of the carnival in both São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. From his hands and from this drum section came several drum directors of São Paulo, such as Magui, Tornado, Negativo, Thiago Praxedes, Beto Repinique and others. He nicknamed the drum section "Pegada de Macaco" (Monkey Grip), based on the film
King Kong.
Drum Section Court Great personalities Among the founders of Vai-Vai are: Livinho, Frederico Penteado (Fredericão), Henricão, Tino, Lourival de Almeida (Loro), Lazinho, Lolo, João Penteado (Joãozinho), Lousa, Tonico, Biau, Zé Negrão, Fumaça, Zico, Isqueirinho, Argemiro, Zui, Ditinho Cristo (who was the first baliza of the cordão), Guariba (successor of Ditinho Cristo as baliza), Genésio (successor of Guariba, husband of Dona Otede), Moacir Arrelia, Moacir Mãe d'Água, Leco, Dona Castorina, Dona Iracema, Maria Preta, Ana Penteado, Dona Florinda (mother of Dona Sinhá), Dona Iría (wife of Livinho and mother of Dinha), Iara, Vó Anacleta (mother of Ditinho Cristo and grandmother of Pato n'Água), Dona Maria, Lucíola, Pitica, Clarinda, Ondina, Nizete, Vitorina, Olga, Sinhá (who was the first contra-baliza of the cordão), Dona Nina, Odila (the first lady in black), Dirce, Antonieta Penteado - Nêta - (the first queen of the cordão), Dona Iracema, Diamantino (Seu Nenê), Paulo Geremias (Seu Portela), Frederico Penteado Jr. (Ico), Moleque, Acácio, Carneirinho, Seo Anselmo, Sr José Antônio, among many others. It is also important to highlight other important personalities in the school's history, such as: Bentinho da Cuíca, Tininha, Lucíola, Tica, Cida Pato, Cassimira, Regina Maura, Maria do Carmo, Arlindo Motorista, Djalma, Penteado, Julinho, Normando, Roberto Fardinha, Bolinha, Tigüera, Zé Roberto, Osvaldinho, Chimbó, Carmem, Fátima, Eliana, Sandrinha, Dona Paula, Mafalda, Niltes, Marrom, Nilton Baltazar, Walter Preto, Volnei, Peba, Éda, Rosely, Chicletinho, Zuccaro, Nelsinho, Dema Grapeti, Demã, Roberto Cartola, Serjão, Nino, Nena, Peru, Cleuza Amarante, Pato Roco, Cidinha Tergal, Sueli, Thune, Guaraná, Armando, Paulo Valentim, Boi, Santão, Amiginho, Miltom, Chapéu, Téti, Chuá, Carlão, Sol, Pedro Carneiro, Silvinho (Bacalhau), Lobão, Cizo, Zé Antônio and Dona Penha.
Dona Olímpia was responsible for more than two decades for the Cordão's court, where Teléco and Claudete held the position of king and queen for a long time, and had as princesses in the court, Cleuza, who would later have her glory as a flag bearer, and her sister Clélia, who in the 1950s went out in front of the drum section in ballet dancer costumes dancing "ballet" to the rhythm of samba. Cleuzí came as a baroness, and China, or rather Chininha, as she was affectionately called at the time, was a Duchess and arrived at Vai-Vai in the 1960s, composing the cordão's court together with: Dita, Laura, Dilma, Dinha, Iolanda, Marilia, Mercedes, Cidinha, Ditinha and Odila who came in the court as a lady in black.
Carioca, besides being a theme writer, was also a great composer, with the sambas from 1966 to 1970 being his authorship. With the return of themes in 1966, the figure of the porta-bandeira appeared in the cordão in the person of Clélia and the mestre-sala Neno, with Vai-Vai starting to parade with a pavilion and banner, conducted by Elisabete, until the transition from cordão to samba school. The first show wing of Cordão Vai Vai was created in 1968, led by Clodoaldo (Tida), which had the name Ala Show Cuíca de Ouro, among its pioneers were Bagulé (citizen samba of 2005), Edney (former mestre-sala), Selma and Edna, who in 1968 at the 2nd Samba Symposium held in the Municipality of
Santos, on the coast of São Paulo, won the title of best dancer in the "Sandália de Prata" contest, beating great dancers from São Paulo and
Rio de Janeiro. In 1971, Edna would become the queen of the cordão's drum section and later of the samba school. Bagulé, Tida and Edney, before setting up the show wing, were already renowned samba dancers, having long shown their talents as dancers at the front of Nossa Ala, which had as its leader the sambista Cleusí. At that time, costumes were handled by the late "Madruga". In the early 1970s, the cordão's first student wing emerged, part of this wing were two young future architects Caio and Bia, who joined Madruga to design the costumes and floats for the cordão for the 1971 carnival, inviting Ângelo Careca, Alemão and Serginho (Pé), who had given a hand to Pé Rachado in the 1970 carnival, and also extended the invitation to Dona Paulina (Bia's mother). Part of this group were names that would become top-notch sambistas, such as: Bolinha, Penteado, Julinho, Zé Roberto, Walter Preto, Eliana, Normanda, Tiguera, Didi and Feijoada, and with this group, the first carnival commission of Vai-Vai and of the São Paulo Carnival was established, which would also be responsible for the transformation of the Cordão into a Samba School. Other great names were also part of this great Cordão, such as: Armandinho (from the Bixiga Museum), Seu Neno (from Bar do Petisco), Seu Mário (from the pharmacy), Ziniqui, Esquerdinha (from Lusitana), Rui Policia, Vicente Cucce (great collaborators of the cordão). Lucíola, another great exponent of the cordão, because of her powerful and high-pitched voice, led the singing of the Cordão at rehearsals until the early 1960s, passing the role to Tininha, and currently the role is held by Cleuzí Penteado, who also holds the position of director of the children's wing for over 30 years. Cordão Vai Vai was a pioneer in everything, and one of its feats was that in 1968, in the Jaçanã neighborhood at Dona Paula's house (Normando's mother), Vai-Vai do Amanhã was founded, the first children's wing in São Paulo, and from this wing came great sambistas, such as carnival designer Vaníria Nejelschi. When talking about the cordão, one cannot fail to mention Genésio, "The Baliza". Despite his small stature, he became a giant at the front of the cordão and performed great juggling with the baliza. He had his royalty until the early 1970s. Today his memory is kept by everyone, especially by his family, led by the great matriarch and sambista Dona Odete, who for several decades was part of the court of our cordão, where she stood out with her beautiful baroness costumes. "What noise, what noise is that, what noise is that coming from there?": that's how Tino made his entry into the cordão in the mid-1930s and later, together with Leco, formed a partnership that yielded great sambas that continue to this day. Another great asset of the Cordão was Baiano, a professional musician and resident of Bixiga, who came to the front of the cordão playing his bugle announcing the arrival of Vai Vai: - "Come out the window, come and see Vai Vai pass by" - and like a magic trick, the street became full to see the beloved cordão. Another great lady was Dona Ana Penteado who, since the cordão era, paraded as a baiana and later would become the symbol baiana of the samba school Vai-Vai. == Symbols ==