Want a taste of the annual neighborhood parades that happen in Rio de Janeiro during the nearly weeklong Brazilian carnival? Monobloco will be bringing it to the D.C. area. Monobloco are a Rio street band that first marched and played percussion-led samba and funk music with chanted and sung vocals in Rio neighborhoods in 2000. As their renditions of danceable Brazilian standards grew more popular, so did their parade. Now taking place in downtown Rio with a half a million celebrants packed on the roads, the Monobloco parade includes the core band on a big truck with blasting speakers, plus additional drum-led units, stilt walkers, and folks in a variety of flamboyant costumes on the pavement. While Glen Echo Park’s Spanish Ballroom may not exactly feel like a crowded Brazilian avenue, audience members will be encouraged to dress up, wear beads, and sing and shout along with Monobloco’s take on joyous classics like Jorge Ben Jor’s “Taj Mahal,” with its bouncy vocal melody and upbeat snare drum rhythms. Monobloco play at 8 p.m. at Hook Hall on March 11 (free dance lesson starts at 7:30 p.m.). educarteinc.org. $45.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new venue information and times.