Brazil Lovers: Those who have a special connection with Brazilian culture

The month of September marks Brazil’s independence from Portugal, but for us; Brazilians living abroad it’s also the month we celebrate our customs and get to share a little bit of it with the world. Many major cities in the US celebrate Brazilian Day Festivals. I learned in the 20 plus years that I’ve been living abroad that our culture is also loved and celebrated by non Brazilians as well. And that’s something special to watch someone who was not born in Brazil to fall in love with our country.

We grew up surrounded by its sounds, flavors, rhythms and ways of connecting. They
are part of our memories and often part of what we miss when we are far from home.
But for others, Brazilian culture is not inherited—it is discovered.

Here in Pittsburgh, I have met many of these “Brazil Lovers”: people who have found their way into our community through food, music, dance, language or simply a curiosity that became something deeper.

Local artist Kelsey Jumper is one of them. You may have seen her drumming with
Timbeleza, dancing samba, or singing Brazilian music around town.

Her journey began with Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges’ 1972 album Clube da
Esquina, introduced to her by a childhood friend while she was living in Buenos Aires
and preparing for her first trip to Brazil.

“I was transported by their harmony and grooves without any understanding of what was being said,” she remembers.

But arriving in São Paulo transformed that musical curiosity into something much more personal.

“My first sentiments were of belonging,” Kelsey says. “Seeing all these mixed-race people who looked like me and my siblings triggered some sense of safety and a beautiful reflection that I’d never experienced growing up in Pittsburgh and even spending half my life in New York City. It’s a sensation that I didn’t know I’d longed for until I felt it.”

She also fell in love with the warmth she experienced in everyday Brazilian life—from
friends dancing through the kitchen while making breakfast to a cab driver who got out
of his car to hug her goodbye.

That sense of connection continues through music.

“Brazilians will sing and dance along, always. Every show is immersive!” she says. “Every show is a conversation between the stage and the audience.”

Back in Pittsburgh, Kelsey found community through Pittsburgh Samba Group,
Timbeleza and collaborations with guitarist Colter Harper, allowing her to continue
studying and celebrating the culture that had brought her so much joy.

For those of us who carry Brazil because it is where we come from, there is something
beautiful about seeing our culture through the eyes of someone who chose to embrace
it. It reminds us that culture doesn’t stop at borders. Music travels. Food travels.
Affection travels.

So I asked Kelsey to finish one sentence: “To me, Brazil is…”
“Solidarity, transmuted through incredible rhythm and unison lines and collectively applauding sunsets.”

Perhaps that is the beauty of being a Brazil Lover: you don’t have to be born in Brazil to recognize something that feels like home.

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Kelsey Jumper Robinson, is a NY-born and PGH-raised vocalist, actor and dancer. Kelsey returned to Pittsburgh in 2017 after nearly 2 years in South America and 10 years in Brooklyn. She’s had the honor of working alongside Pittsburgh’s most curious hearts, minds and talents in the music, theater and movement communities. You’ll find her with global music groups, and global jazz fusion ensembles, at Honky Tonks, exploring contemporary and classical texts, tap dancing and percussing with her hands too.