All language subtitles for Dzi Croquettes (2009)

And love and peace
to my beloved hippies,

if there are any among you.

MARCH 31, 1964.

A MILITARY COUP DEPOSES
PRESIDENT JO�O GOULART

AND THE ARMY FORCES
TAKE CONTROL OF BRAZIL.

APRIL 9, 1964.

THE INSTITUCIONAL ACT 1 IS ENACTED
REVOKING THE POLITICAL TERMS

OF THOSE AGAINST
THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT.

DECEMBER 13, 1968.

THE INSTITUTIONAL ACT 5 IS ANACTED
LIMITING ALL TYPES OF CIVIL FREEDOM.

THE AI-5 CENSORED APPROXIMATELY:

500 FILMS, 450 THEATER PLAYS,
1.000 SONGS.

During AI-5, Brazilian citizens
had no rights.

Everything was forbidden.

We were slaves to this awful
Dictatorship we had in Brazil

for a long time.

It was probably the mostop
pressive time of the Dictatorship,

the hardest time.

We were really confined.
Things were said between lines,

as a subtext.

I remember very clearly
because my dad was a politician.

And especially because
I saw him leave for exile.

Until then the
Dictatorship was mild,

we thought it would fall
apart at any moment.

But then it became
a hardcore Dictatorship,

a State terrorism,
which lasted until 77 or 78.

The government ruled
through Institutional Acts,

the famous AIs.

The AI-5 was the last straw.

They enacted the AI-5,
which closed the Congress.

AI-5 came into effect
on December 13th, 1968.

It was unforgettable.

Everything was forbidden,
Congress was shut down,

"We are in charge now."

They put an end
to individual freedom.

The government simply
became too extreme.

Just like any dictatorship,
they think they own the truth,

and those who do not
take part in the scheme,

are cut off, repressed...

Even killed.

AI-5 was a horror institution.

I was arrested during the Dictatorship,
lost my Brazilian citizenship.

People were arrested
for making music, writing poetry...

I witnessed the very end,

but today's generations
have no memory

of the military Dictatorship.

They were dualistic:
Either you supported the right,

or you were a communist
and were arrested.

Teaching slum people to read
made you a communist.

There wasn't an alternative.

"Roda Viva", when they invaded
the theater, beat us up,

and threw us naked
on the streets,

I didn't understand why.

I performed
for the Censors.

It's awful when the State
has so much power over you.

Solange Hernandes.

You see how powerful
Dictatorship was.

We memorized the name
of the censor.

"What part of the song
do you want me to remove?"

"The problem is not the song
but the idea."

Some of the songs were
completely literal, innocent,

and people found a hidden
anti-Dictatorship meaning.

It was pathetic!

Just in time
the Dzi Croquettes emerged.

Going against the closing
of people's minds.

No one could think,
no one could be different,

no one could freelyexpress
themselves.

It was a way of opposing
the Dictatorship through sarcasm.

We could no longer
do it seriously.

We were in a dictatorship
against which

an essentially political
theater was put on,

and the Dzi Croquettes
were like an explosion.

They criticized
the traditional institutions,

but in a fun way.

Excuse me,
where is Father Jacques?

They prohibited the show
because they thought it was weird,

they couldn't understand,
and thought it revolutionary.

Release the butterflies.

Let's fly with them.

Let's look for the flower,
the color,

the horizontal,
the vertical, the space.

Let's find the birds
and fly with them.

Let's look for the sky,
happiness, God.

Fly, butterfly!
Fly! Fly!

Fly! Fly!

I remember they opened
their wings like huge butterflies,

dancing to
"Thus Spoke Zarathustra."

It was an explosion
of the new and modern,

that androgenous thing.

They were gorgeous men
who dressed as women.

But no one wanted
to be a woman.

Women, men, androgenous...
Those wonderful naked bodies!

They were hairy,
had hairy legs and beards.

You saw strong hairy men;
they didn't shave.

Their walk was strong,
they danced like men,

dressed as women,
with a dubious sexuality.

It shook people's
sexual structure.

On stage, the mix of men
and wigs, the boa...

Dzi Croquettes' work
was unprecedented,

avant-garde, unique!

Their shows
were always sold out.

When they went to Europe,

Liza Minnelli and Andy Warhol
were there.

There was an important
scenic severity,

which was what
Lennie Dale expected.

It wasn't a gay show.

There was a great deal
of sexuality,

male, female, or homosexual.

They fully exercised
their sexuality.

They are the symbol of an era,
the glamour era;

they were male, female,
very sexy on the stage,

and extremely funny.

No one called them queer,
no one had the guts to,

because they were
extremely talented

and were above
any kind of mockery.

They weren't really engaged
in institutional politics.

But of course
all acts are political,

and there was
a behavioral revolution,

of sexual liberation,

and moral values in relation
to masculinity and femininity,

and they were pioneers of that.

They were very creative
and engaged

in supporting political
opening and freedom.

No... If it's just for fun,
then don't count on me.

No!

No!

Thinking comes first.

Against the square ideas,

which was part
of the military government.

They did it in 72, 73.

Then they came to Rio
and the show was prohibited.

They were prohibited
and had to testify.

But, besides nudity, the censors
couldn't find anything else.

The behavioral,
sexual musical revolution

in the structure of the dance,

which knocked down
concepts and preconceptions,

was much stronger.

But nudity was liberated
if they wore larger briefs.

They couldn't find any threats,

but they knew
it was a time bomb.

And we are not women either.

It's a different story.

We are people.

They were extremely bright,

many of them spoke
different languages.

I want to introduce you
to my secretary.

My pleasure!
It's a bit crazy today, I'm sorry.

Not only did I see Dzi Croquettes
but also saw what they meant

in terms of freedom
of the theater language,

of seeing men dressed as women,

who were not transvestites
and didn't behave as such.

People couldn't even say
they didn't like it

because everything
was so new, eccentric, original.

They were extremely original.

There was a number that I just
loved, with Aldir Blanc's song

"Dois pra l�! Dois pra c�!"
Sung by Elis Regina.

We were rehearsing
for the opening,

and Lennie got Elis' record,
which she had sent to him.

There was a letter
talking about children,

and Lennie was very
touched by it.

He got the record

and started rehearsing
"Dois pra l�! Dois pra c�!"

For Wagner and himself.

Wagner didn't have
a dance number.

Gaya learned it too,
so they shared it.

And it was a big hit.

It was just beautiful!

It was a ballroom dance.

Later on, Gaya and I
performed it at Teatro Rival.

I danced that bolero
with Gaya.

The scene between
Cl�udio Tovar and Cl�udio Gaya...

I loved it! Cl�udio Gaya,
Cl�udio Tovar!

In which they danced a bolero
sung by Elis Regina,

I saw them do it.

Lennie had choreographed it
for Wagner and himself.

It brought tears into your eyes.

They brought to the stage
the love between them,

and the audience accepted it
very gently.

It was an excellent drama scene.

It reachedan unforgettable point.

There were moments of drama,
of an actor's performance,

which would have please
deven Peter Brook.

And it did.

They went to Europe
and were a big hit.

Legend says Baijart saton
the first row many times.

They were a group of 13.

THE FAMILY

Dzi Family 'Dzi Croquettes'.

THE MOTHER

Wagner came from a big family.

So everything for him
was related to the family.

When he formed the Dzi Croquettes,
he formed a family.

BENEDITO LACERDA: 'OLD' - NIECE

There was the showand
the story of the family.

BAYARD TONELLI: 'BACIA' - AUNTIE

The greatest outcome
of our success

was the love
and affection for the family.

ROG�RIO DE POLY: 'PATA' - DAUGHTER

It was a family of women,
and the father was the only man.

CIRO BARCELOS: 'SILINHA' - DAUGHTER

Lennie was the father,
Wagner was the mother.

CL�UDIO TOVAR: 'CL�' - NIECE

Wagner gave Lennie
the role of the father.

THE FATHER

The daughters were Paoletti...

Gaya...

Because you will not understand.

Ciro Barcelos...

I was the youngest, Silinha Meleca.
Wagner's name was Silly Dale.

I was the youngest one,
so they called me Silinha,

the little silly one.

- Ciro and Rog�rio.
- Pata.

I danced with my butt
sticking out, like a duck.

And there was also Lotinha,
one of the daughters.

Are you understanding it?
You need an explication?

The mother had 3 sisters:
Bayard who was aunt Bacia.

I was the aunt,
who took care of the money

and Reginaldo was the queen.

He was the queen
because of his pose.

And there was also Roberto.

Aunt Rose.

Those were the mother's sisters.

There were two nieces:
Myself, called "Old".

I loved England, so he called me
"Old City London.

And also Tovar.

Hi, mommy!

When I saw that open door
right in front of me,

I went to the dressing room,
asked him to join them.

Lennie wasn't so sure about it,
and I said, "I want to join now.

Can I put something on
and stay here?"

I put on a dress and make-up
and stood back there.

I came back
on the following day,

and brought something else.

I simply joined them.

And Eloy came in later.

He was a maid,
the magician of the company.

Move your ass!

No bad language, ok?

Do like Carmen Miranda.
That move you tried before.

- No bad language, please.
- Of course.

I want to sell the movie
to Brazil. Vender

THE MOTHER

Wagner came from
the state of S�o Paulo.

From a huge family
from the country.

Their spiritual mentor
was really bright.

He was a great comedian!

And wrote the comedy
for the show.

- Wagner Ribeiro was the philosopher.
- An impressive person.

He created the idea,
wrote the script,

many of the songs were his.

Wagner didn't play any instruments,

he wasn't a musician
but he wrote songs.

We recorded two of his songs:
"Vingativa" and "Crisi Darling."

"Vingativa," which was a big hit,
a wonderful song

That's why I am vindictive

He came to Rio
to go to Med school.

He gave up to beca
mean artisan and study Theater.

The first thing I tried was Medicine.

He studied Medicine for 2 years

and became an artist,
actor, and author.

Inventive,
always in a good mood...

The most incredible person
I've ever met.

I never saw an artisan like him.

Little pieces...
All sew up by hand.

It's a masterpiece.

Everything began
with the handicraft...

because Wagner was
the; hippie" bazar founder.

Whenever he answered
the phone, he'd say,

"Martian Embassy."

They used to hang out
at Wagner's home.

Wagner had a very strong
Catholic side,

and felt guilty
for being homosexual.

He had a serious problem.

When he found out he was a homosexual,
he couldn't walk for a long time.

He was a crazy Cancerian,
fantastic... A hard worker.

Wagner used to assume
his prophet side.

I say nice things
to people about love;

there are lots
of nice things in the script.

As Wagner used to say...

- "Love conquers all."
- "Love conquers all."

This frase:
"Love conquers all,"

in a world of wars
in which we live...

I told him I thought
there was only one way

we could change things in our country,
through armed conflict.

He convinced me,
and I still remember,

"Child, instead of guns...

why don't we make art?

It's so much nicer!"

By the theater door, as people
came in, he'd preach love,

he'd preach compassion.

We were based on Jung.

It didn't sound corny.

Talking about him
makes me miss him a lot.

- How are you?
- Great, honey. And you?

I'm really excited!

Boa noite to the Brazilians.

He used to speak
in a high-pitched voice.

'Bonsoir to the French'.

He spoke with
a high-pitched voice.

Did I poop?

With his little voice.

Pretending to be a woman;
it was hilarious.

Hello, to the cool guys.

'Lmpatient people eat raw food
because they want.

Cause there're a lot of good things
out there to eat, darling.

Wagner was hilarious!

Wagner controlled the audience
in any language.

Always with a strong accent...

I need my secretary
to speak French,

because French is
a very difficult language.

Wagner Ribeiro had
a great teaching method,

with live theater technique,
always improvising.

Freedom, absence of a fourth wall,

opinion, humor,
sense of criticism...

Wagner Ribeiro was
the precursor of 'Besteirol'.

We were labeled as 'Besteirol'.

After smoking a lot of weed,
you become 'besteirol'.

The way he did it was incredible!

I am dressed as a woman,
wearing a wig,

and singing in a falsetto voice.

Singing is better!

It's better than this...

The so-called 'besteirol theater',
which thrived in Brazil in the 80's,

that's where it all started.

Wagner's comedy,
his interaction with the audience,

that nonsense style.
It worked!

Louder!

And that served as inspiration...

Miguel Falabella, Mauro Rasi,
Vicente Pereira, Guilherme Karan...

We followed them
wherever they went.

It was our source of inspiration.

Miguel Falabella,
Luiz Fernando Guimar�es,

Regina Cas�,
D�bora Bloch and I.

I think Dzi had great influence...

on that type of comedy.

When Wagner came down the steps,
he grabbed the audience by the hand

and gave them a lesson in comedy...

I watched the birth.

THE BIRTH

On August 8th, 1972,
I was at Galeria Alasca,

Wagner stopped by
and invited me for a beer.

I called all my friends
at the Drama School

to do a show.

Wagner told me about his dream.

One day, Bayard, Reginaldo,
Wagner and myself...

I told them about my idea
for a show.

They loved it!

We needed a name.

I mentioned the Croquettes
from New York.

We were eating
appetizers or something,

and there were croquettes.

We were eating croquettes,
and Wagner said,

"Let's call it Dzi Croquettes,
"with double "T".

Dzi from the
English article "the".

"The Croquettes,"

because we're nothing
but croquettes,

we're made of meat.

One day he called me
and said he had a name:

"Dzi Croquette".

I laughed.

I was studying Architecture.

I was 18 when I met Lennie
, and I went crazy.

I quit everything
and went to S�o Paulo.

I began working
with amateur theater,

we came to Rio de Janeiro
where I met Wagner,

a wonderful man, who had tried
group work before.

He was funny and had a script that
everyone loved but never staged it.

One day Bayard invited me
for an audition.

I didn't know what it was.

They said I had to dress
as a woman and wear makeup.

It was a cabaret language
but based primarily on Rio's Carnival,

where men dressed as women.

It was the 'Dzi Croquette Family'.

It was a theater play
to be staged in Lapa,

at Cabaret Casanova.

Elke Maravilha said
I had to meet the guys,

who were playing
in a cabaret in Lapa

because they were wonderful.

It's something to be seen,
to be learned.

I had a club
called Monsieur Pujol.

Lennie and I lived together.

I used to get home and talk
to Lennie about the rehearsal.

I wanted to work with Lennie.

I had directed 3 of his shows
, but never worked with him on stage.

Lennie was a "star" already.

Lennie decided
to take a look at it.

Wagner said, "I'm thinking
about calling Lennie Dale."

We set up a meeting.

They came with him
to our rehearsals...

To form the bond between
Lennie Dale and Wagner Ribeiro.

They met and obviously fell in love.

'Lennie, don't you want
to do a show with me at Pujol? '

When I went back home,
Lennie said, "I'm in!"

I just loved it!

He said: 1'ut everybody knows
what we are going to do, darling'.

The next day, Lennie went with me
to Wagner's house...

'Baby, let's do something different'.

When I watched the rehearsals,
I noticed that the boys...

had such willpower,

but they lacked dance skills.

And the rest became History.

'I know a spectacular group
called Dzi Croquettes...'

So Lennie gathered
the clumsy Brazilians,

and made them work
eigth hours a day,

dance...

At the end we were all exhausted.

I went to the club
and he was sitting on the street,

listless...

I asked him,
"What happened, Lennie?"

"You can't trust those faggots.

No one showed up.

Let's go in
and do our own show."

If he didn't understand that,
it wouldn't had happened.

But Mi�le is a man of the world.

He doesn't have that kind of limitations
that the great majority has.

As I opened the club door,

there was one guy hanging
from the lamp,

one on the counter,
on the table, three on stage...

They were singing with playback;

Dzi, Dzi, Dzi Croquettes

The international

And Mi�le was fascinated.
Everybody with make up...

Paulette singing
and doing all that stuff...

Mi�le looked at us laughing...

'Who are these girls? '

I said, "How much?
We have to do this."

He bet on it
and it was a huge hit!

Rio de Janeiro went crazy.

With all that, Lennie Dale was
leaving prison,

he convinced Mi�le of gathering
everyone in one great show.

That's how
Dzi Croquettes were born.

I already knew Lennie.

THE FATHER

Lennie came to Brazil,
to dance with a whip.

I met him first in 1963.

He was Broadway's
great promise as a dancer.

I did "West Side Story,
"The Pajama Game,"

"Guys and Dolls,"
and a number of TV shows.

I was a child star at the age of 10,
I had my own TV show,

with a singer called Connie Francis.

I was working
in a show as a dancer

and he was hired by a businessman
of the Rio night, Carlos Machado.

Machado saw him in a show
and brought him to dance.

Then I met Carlos Machado.

He came to perform
'The Marijuana Dance'.

And Lennie Dale appears,
coming from U. S.

I fell completely
in love with him!

"That's it!
That's the dance!"

A great musician.
He played piano very well.

He began to come
to the places we went to

and fell in love.

He fell in love with Brazilian music,
Bossa Nova, and sambajazz.

He fell in love with the music,

the melody,
harmony and rhythm.

I first met Lennie
when he arrived in Brazil.

I was 17.

I was 16, and used to go
to 'Beco das Garrafas',

an area in Copacabana
full of bars.

There was jazz and Bossa Nova;
I was crazy for music.

"Bossa" is an adjective for
someone doing something

in a certain way,
with affection.

"He played the guitar
with a wonderful 'bossa',"

meaning he had a swing,
a way of playing it.

The swing began to change.

"He's playing
with a different beat."

It is the
"Bossa Nova".

And I soon met Lennie,

he was very popular
at 'Beco das Garrafas'.

'No, that's good, darling'.

'My dear, it's divine! '

'He have to do this wonderful thing!
'Guys! What's is this, my dear? '

He was a very friendly guy.

We're talking about
Rio de Janeiro in 1961 or 1962.

Everything was really square.

Lennie'd say,
"Slow down, now go faster..."

"No!

We'll change the key
and also the harmony.

You can't have the same harmony."

He was very smart.

He learned it, processed it
and then taught it.

He didn't want to
change that music.

He wanted to embrace it.

In a completely weird key.

So people said,
"You can't do that".

"Why not, baby?"

"It's never been done."

"And because of that,
it can't be done? Is it wrong?"

"No, C Major diminished."

"Stop that!
It will sound beautiful!"

His guts were unknown
to the Bossa Nova guys.

He taught us about lighting,
audio, music...

His lighting effects,
with blackouts,

light here and there,
in sync with the music.

The light had to do
the same thing.

Picture that in 1960.

His musical thinking
was incredible!

He sang with
an American accent...

He didn't have a great voice,

but had great swing
and imagination.

He decided to put on a show
at the Bon Gourmet club,

where Tom and Vin�cius
made their debut,

'Os Cariocas' and
Jo�o Gilberto.

I saw the show and went insane
watching with him on the stage.

And everybody flipped out.

Lennie Dale was a genius.

His American dance technique
applied to the Brazilian rhythm

was never repeated.

He created a Bossa Nova dance,
which was like a backwards samba.

The artistic scene in Rio
stopped because of him.

"What the heck is that?"

He made very important changes
to Brazilian music at the time.

For those who lived close to him,
like me...

he promoted boldness,
the adventure,

the outlaw side of life.

I saw many shows
that he choreographed,

including Elis Regina's.

Elis Regina's greatest influence
in the beginning of her career

wasn't a musician or a singer,
it was Lennie Dale.

Meeting Lennie Dale
was one of the best things

that ever happened to me.

And we'll meet again and again.

Elis had just arrived in Rio,

and they became great friends.

She started using
body expressions

based on what he did.

He'd go to her house
and teach her to dance.

I loved him.
We were really good friends.

He stayed in Brazil
and didn't want to leave.

I'm not leaving

We did a lot of
crazy things together.

We have a lot, a lot...

a lot of stories!

Bossa Nova wasn't
as professional as it is today.

Lennie introduced professionalism
to Beco das Garrafas.

He was the strictest person
when it came to the stage.

When he was on stage,
nothing could go wrong.

He was very strict.

Working with Lennie Dale
meant working really hard.

And learning too.

I never saw nothing like that,
nobody dances like him.

One of the most incredible
dance numbers I've ever seen!

He wore a little thong,

his body covered in glitter,
he was bald...

Those round moves.

His swing...

Bob Fosse and Lennie Dale.

What defined Lennie
was his strength.

His strength and sensuality.

He was hot!

His dance made you ecstatic!

Watching him on stage
was incredible!

He'd drop to his knees

and come back up without using
his hands, only his feet.

It was unbelievable!

He would go down
diagonally on his knees

and come back up
using his toes like that.

I had seen Lennie on TV
and was crazy about him.

I watched his show, we talked
and fell in love right away.

It was love at first sight.

Dzi Croquettes went to Campinas,

and he made me watch the show
from the lighting booth.

I was 8 years old.

Dzi Croquettes were prohibited
for all ages, especially mine.

He was an important person for me.
My great love of dance.

He took dancing really seriously,
but in real life,

he was wild!

We fought so many times because
he was a rebel.

He was a real handful,
as a person,

besides his artistic side,
he was a devil.

I had some tough
moments with him.

Like when he tried to kill
himself in my house.

He had his child side.

When he cried,
he cried a river.

He was very emotional.

You know,
Lennie was a pot head.

He had no limits.

He was walking at Galeria Alasca,
the police shut it down,

and took everyone to the station.

They recognize Lennie,
and the chief of police says:

"Lennie, you forgot your bag."

He remembered there was ajoint in it
and said:

"The bag is not mine."

But he forgot that his passport
was also in the bag.

"It's not yours?
Yes, it is. Let's see."

He empties the bag,
sees the passport and says,

"This is your passport."

When he opened the passport,
he saw there was ajoint in it.

So Lennie was arrested,
and sentenced to one year

in the Lemos de Brito
Penitentiary.

He charmed everyone in prison
because he gave dance classes.

He'd come in a police car,
which was charming,

and get out of the car
in his weird outfits,

practically naked.

When the lesson ended,
he'd get back in the police car.

The 70's were a very
creative time in Brazil.

A new era was beginning,

the glitter movement.

THE HOUSE

We lived together,
first in Wagner's house,

then in S�o Paulo, for a long time.

There were two in each room,
and Lennie had his own room.

We all shared the bills.

Each one had a role.

Reginaldo was an actor,
was in charge of the money.

He ran the house financially.

When he was on stage, he counted
the number of people in the audience,

and checked it with
the cashier.

That's why he was called
the "Queen."

She was the sovereign queen.

He was very noble.

She was noble.
I loved his smile, his face.

Rog�rio and Reginaldo were brothers,
but completely different,

from Miracema,
state of Rio de Janeiro.

Few people could tell
we were brothers.

Today I do the laundry,
I iron, I cook,

because I lived with them.

There was room for everybody
and also the fans...

Our community living
worked out well.

It was like a real tribe.

We even had a governess.

She was and still is
a beautiful black woman.

Her glamour inspired us.

We called her "N�ga Vilma."

She created a "security mattress"
around Dzi to protect us.

She filtered the fans.

I wouldn't let people in, if I had to.

Closing the door on people's face
wasn't a problem for me.

She took control, a female control,
inside Dzi's story,

which was very important.

People I had never seen
would sleep there.

They switched bedrooms...
It was a big mess!

She'd travel with us,
put up with Lennie's craziness.

She had some authority
over Lennie.

They respected me a lot.

She was like a lightning-rod

against negative energies.
She was half-witch, half-fairy.

Their home was a
complete wreck.

So I had to put
things in order.

When they quarreled,
I made sure I was around,

because things would take
a couple of hours to calm down,

either with a fistfight or
just talking. That's for sure.

When the fight started,
I had to use a whip.

Once I grabbed a hose
and threw water at them.

We fought like brothers...

Next thing we know
we were hitting each other.

Justice was carried out
democratically.

It wasn'tjust one
saying what was wrong.

Lennie was in love with me,

I lived with Lennie
but I was in love with Rog�rio...

It was totally incestuous.

Cl�udio Tovar was in love
with Cl�udio Gaya,

and Wagner with Gaya,
and Gaya lived with Wagner.

And so on.

Aunt Rose.

Roberto was also into the visual
aspect, he loved to draw.

He was serious on stage,
didn't laugh much.

Roberto was my boyfriend.

His main feature
was being serious,

like Buster Keaton.

He didn't say much.

But he'd say it all.

A wonderful artist!

It was funny,
because he was short,

and I'm tall...

he was black
and I'm pale.

People didn't understand.

He was a powerful artist,
but also an introvert,

so he never really
showed his work.

People said,
"Are you dating a gay man?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

First comes the mind,
and then the rest.

And there were also
the girlfriends from outside.

They also made us jealous.
It was visceral.

In S�o Paulo,
at the 13 de Maio Theater,

Eloy shows up
he was from S�o Paulo.

He was a dresser at first.

He earned his space.

ELOY SIM�ES 'ELOINA'
CLEANING LADY

He was on a show
with two other people

and tried to approach us

and ended up
as the group's dresser.

Always smiling, always doing
something kind...

Lennie brings him into the group,
since it's Lennie who pays him.

And makes him his own dresser.

He became
everyone's dresser...

He became Dzi's dresser.

All dressed up!

He was an incredible artist
and created his own characters,

because he had to
cross the stage.

He would not cross unnoticed.

He stayed as the dresser
the whole time.

But he earned notorious numbers
in the show.

In S�o Paulo.

In 1973,
at the 13 de Maio Theater,

on 13 de Maio Street,
Bexiga, S�o Paulo.

It was an arena theater.

I was sitting on
an uncomfortable wooden bench.

I didn't know what to say.

It's like someone had said to me,
"Look, that's what life is all about,

being human is about."

Life changed.

I came home, ripped my clothes,

put on some glitter,
and designed something.

The Croquette spirit.

I was used to androgyny.
I listened to Bowie, and Lou Reed...

But I had never seen it in a theater,

and it was so important
for the Brazilian gay movement!

Maybe it was the first
great manifestation

of the gay movement in Brazil.
It was its artistic translation,

and with a political
meaning behind it.

It was fascinating,
almost an addiction!

I don't know how many times
I saw it. I saw many times.

I saw it many times.

I was a fan. I went
practically every night.

Married men with children
left their wives to see us.

Psychiatrists,
military men, young guys.

Women, married with children,
grandmothers screamed and loved it!

There was a whole movement
around the show.

People began to dress like them,
talk like them, love like them.

That's how I wanna be.

We went to those
chic parties in S�o Paulo

wearing the craziest outfits.

We made a girlie version.

We wore hats with flowers,
our mother's silk nightgowns...

and we put glitter...

People changed their attitude,
their clothes,

the way they are and think.

Being a Dzi Croquette.

Not being part of the show,
but being.

I got rid of all feelings
of guilt or fear...

I wanted to take risks.

It drove many people crazy
it put an end to Dictatorship.

People were no longer afraid
of dressing as a woman;

of being queer or not.

"Oh, my mom will find out."

I realized it wasn't
just with me.

It became a religion.

People watched it 20 times,
some watched every day.

A real 'tiete' doesn't miss one.

What was a "tiete"?

It was the term that Duze made up
for the fans.

'Tiete' came from Duze.

Tiete was my mom's friend.

She was very nosy,
but with the best of intentions.

She wanted to solve everything.

She'd get into
everyone's bussiness...

Whenever it happened, we'd say:
'You're such a tiete'.

I began to use it with the boys,
they caught it and spread it.

It's in the dictionary now.

The girls that went
to see us, the 'tietes',

they were there every day.

A bunch of women
who dressed like us.

And one day Wagner said:
'We have to do something with them'.

'What are we going to do? '

'Let's do a show. '

Then Wagner wrote'
Dzi Croquettas'.

The cast of Dzi Croquettas
was formed,

by girls who were
in love with them.

I freaked!

I saw another world
completely different.

When I knew that Wagner was
creating the show...

My father had died... I said: Mother, I'll be in a show

It's was on a saturday night.
On sunday she said:

'Change your haircut, change
your friends, your clothes, yourjob...

or leave this house. ' And I left.
Never came back.

We gave them our lives.
We chose that life.

I left my family.

We started living that culture
during 3 years.

The show didn't matter to us.
The show was an excuse.

So we created 'Dzi Croquettas',
that was a disaster.

Although I still love it.

From that group of 20 girls...

come to light 'As Fren�ticas'.

'As Fren�ticas' is a consequence
of Dzi Croquettes.

We had the experience from Croquettas,
me, Lidoca and Lidoka.

We have 3 'fren�ticas'
that were Croquettas...

and Edir, who was
Carlinhos Machado's sister.

We sang with humor and sensuality,

because we'd saw them
so may times...

They had a Croquettes vocabulary.

Have I told you?

No... It's gone.

Are you okay, Mary?

Darling!

The terms were hilarious.

The words, the Dzi dictionary.

They were the only
ones who used it.

Me, what?

'My Love', always.
'Have I told you? '

Z�...

Call Z�.

A theater movement,
an artistic movement?

It was more!
It changed people's lives

and the culture of our country.

We were in S�o Paulo
for almost a year.

Then we came to Rio.

That's when we went over big
with the audience!

And everyone around us!
People tried to break into the theater,

because there were 600 people inside
and 1, 200 outside.

It took a while for the censors
to understand the threat in it.

They began to pay attention.

"Hold on a second.
That bunch of faggots..."

That's how they treated us,
"They're dangerous."

When they realized that,
they shut it down.

Then came the Censorship,

I was the one who went there.

Then we stopped...
During 30 days.

Meanwhile Lennie Dale
was runned over.

We pulled some strings
and got an interview

with the head of the Censorship.

He called the head
of the group,

it should have been Lennie.

But Lennie had been hit by a bus
and was in the hospital.

I don't know how he didn't die.

He was leaving TV Globo...

I was chosen.

The bus came and hit him.

I had a suit, maybe that's why.

He broke many bones.

So there I went,
talk to the colonel...

He lost all his teeth,
broke the clavicle...

broke many ribs...

He insulted me
as much as he could.

"If you do again what you did,
I'll destroy you."

The doctor said Lennie didn't die
because of his body strength.

So when I left,
the show had been approved.

I went home,
there was no one there.

I laid down
and cried and cried.

When we convinced the military
that the show was harmless,

Lennie couldn't dance.

It's fantastic to be here
dancing in one piece.

We restarted the show in Rio.

We went back to S�o Paulo,

where we made enough money
to buy the tickets to go to Europe.

I quit my job,
organized a party at my house...

sell practically everything and
went with them.

We decided to go to Europe.

N�ga Vilma was the only woman
to go with them.

They didn't have a producer.
Nothing but guts.

It was an adventure.

We went to Portugal.
With tons of clothes,

I think there was actually
tons of clothes.

There were two tons of stuff,

the guy in the port
looked at it and said,

"You are the Dzi Croquettes.
What do you have here?

- Drugs?"
- I said, "No, only 3kg."

And we had a lot of pot too.

There were 3kg of pot
inside styrofoam balls

that I had glued together.
He said, "I'm going to open everything."

I said ok.

He said, "Well, I won't open
if you dance for us."

We danced James Brown.

They watched it, applauded,
and the guy said,

"You're okay to go.
Take it onboard."

It was the end of
the Salazar era in Portugal,

and that bunch of ET's showed up.

In Portugal we put
a new wardrobe together

because they had wonderful garbage!

They had a problem with
the sound guy...

and in Lisboa
I started to work with them.

Imagine them, dressed in skirts
with lipstick on, in Lisbon.

They were in the middle
of the Carnation Revolution,

we didn't make
one single penny.

It didn't work out.

Meanwhile we were trying
to go to Paris.

Cl�udio Gaya goes
to Paris by himself.

What I learned
with Cl�udio Gaya...

He was the greatest actor
I've ever met.

He was a wonderful actor.

I directed him in one
of my firstjobs in the theater.

Nuance, intelligence,
how to subvert a word,

how a pause can change ajoke.

If you have any questions,
please, ask me.

As you know,
it's a Brazilian show.

There are certain things
that you might not understand.

It's true!

We don't understand
anything ourselves.

The Dzi family began with
Gaya and Wagner Ribeiro;

they were the main source
it began with their relationship.

I liked him, he was a friend.
He was funny.

I think that people
related to our open heart,

screaming on stage.

Everyone got into it.

He was a very clever man.

With great knowledge
eof theater.

But also very strict,
very spartan in certain things.

Gaya was also a great comedian,
he had a good comedy timing.

Gaya evaluated the things
we were supposed to do.

"Gaya, today I'm going to do this."

"Cool, do it."
"No, do something else."

All the tips of a great star,
Gaya gave me,

just like Tovar taught me
his creative universe.

He had a caustic humor.

He was a really cool guy.

We are loosening up
more and more on stage

and also in life.

Gaya went to Paris by himself,

with all the money we had left.

We got a contact number
for Patrice Calmettes,

a photographer friend.

We expected anything but that.
It was incredible!

Patrice sent the money,
we bought the train tickets,

and left for Paris.

We made our debut

and the French press
boycotted us.

They didn't knowhow
to label the show

and began to boycott us.

They didn't write
one single line.

They boycotted us.

Even with all the advertising,
the public didn't show up.

Godmother!

That's when our godmother
Liza Minnelli showed up.

They were throwing a party for her

and she said she wanted
to invite everyone

to watch the best show in Paris.

"There's a Brazilian group
called Dzi Croquettes."

So she brought
the most important press

in the world, in Paris,
to see our show.

We had a second
show at midnight

especially for Liza
and her guests.

We were having
a show at midnight

and Liza invited Omar Sharif,
Catherine Deneuve,

Valentino, Marisa Berenson,
all of them.

The biggest fad in Paris
was watching Dzi Croquettes.

Brought by Patrice Calmettes
from 1973 to 1975,

the Brazilian group Dzi Croquettes
will set the Paris scene on fire

bringing fresh new air.

I saw the Dzi Croquettes
for the first time in 1977.

I was so excited
when I left the show.

As I walked home,
I began to dance

with the lampposts
I found on the street.

It was like seeing
shooting stars.

I decided to take pictures
of those wonderful dancers.

I met them
because of your father.

My dad met the Dzi Croquettes
in Paris

and became part
of their technical staff.

It's true that
your dad worked with them.

Then I met everyone.

I immediately fell in love
with the entire group.

The actors.
I remember well...

Cl�udio Tovar,
Cl�udio Gaya,

Ciro...

Tovar, Reginaldo, Gaya, Paoletti...

Wagner, Lennie, Eloy, Bayard...

In the audience,
Omar Sharif was a big fan.

Jeanne Moreau,
Josephine Baker...

I loved it
and saw it a number of times.

I saw the show every night
at the Hebertot Theater. I was 20.

I watched it every night.

It was an avant-gard show.

Paris was making room for it

and giving them the opportunity
to cause an impact

on the Parisian scene at the time.

They influenced many people
in show business in France.

They played really well
with their bisexuality,

seducing men and women
without a problem.

It was very pleasant.

They weren't transvestites,
they were real artists.

It's a different
philosophy of life.

They used the French language
in an incredible way.

They spoke French well
but with a very Brazilian accent.

The mix of languages...

They made me discover Brazil,
I went back there many times.

How Paris saw
the Dzi Croquettes?

Crazy!

Extraordinary!
For us they were extraordinary!

They were funny, playful, sensual...

It was new for us.

I had never seenany
thing like that.

It was like fireworks.

I learned Portuguese.

Luxurious!

Brilliant! Exactly.

CARLOS MACHADO
'LOTINHA' - DAUGHTER

We went on tour
in Italy,

and Josephine Baker
was debuting her new show

in a theater, with everything
pink for her return.

His name was Carlos,
then Carlota and Lotinha.

He was a tiny guy.

Lotinha was one of the nicest
guys I've ever met.

A happy smile all the time.

Carlinhos had the nicest smile
in the world.

He had a great figure!

His legs and his butt
were incredible!

I remember Lotinha's hug.

Was born and raisedin Copacabana, Beco das Garr

He was Elis' great friend
and Lennie Dale's great friend.

He was a very important
person to me,

he introduced me to Lennie Dale.

I've never met anyone so
destitute of negative feelings

in my 59 years of life.

He spoke many languages,
was a very a clever guy.

He brought a lot of glamour to
Dzi and taught us many things.

The German group
took us to Italy.

They never paid us,
or the hotel, nothing.

And the businessmen ran away.

We had hotel bills, stage bills,
the Odeon Theater!

And we were in the hands
of the Italian Mob.

An Italian Mob guy
called Schiavone.

When Liza went to Paris,

she brought some people to watch
us. And Josephine Baker went...

Josephine Baker was
a great singer at the time.

The Bobino theater was reopening,

and she told the owner that,
when she died and left,

she wanted the Dzi Croquettes
to replace her.

We stayed at a hotel
on the Swiss border

and we were worried because
we had no shows scheduled.

We received the news that
Josephine Baker died on stage.

After one week performing,
she had a heart attack and died.

The owner did what
she asked him to do.

The phone rang,
Josephine Baker died,

it was the Bobino theater

inviting the Croquettes
to go back to Paris.

We went back to Paris,
to the great Bobino theater.

When the curtain opened,
Liza, Mick Jagger, Jeanne Moreau...

All the stars were there.

We were invited
to film with Jeanne Moreau,

with Liza Minnelli.

They got rich.
They made a lot of money.

It was a success.
It was a huge success.

I remember a number
Paoletti did in Paris,

wearing a pink and white
long dress,

and a wonderful brim hat.

He sang "Ne me quitte pas,
"very seriously.

A black guy singing Jacques Brel
dressed as a woman

was something rare.
Phenomenal!

He lifted up his skirt and showed
his shoes, size 14, or whatever,

and the audience cracked up!

PAULO BARCELLAR "PAOLETTl" - DAUGHTER

I think dance came into my life

since I was born,
because it's a gift God gave me.

I always felt
comfortable dancing,

and it always came easy to me.

That's how I joined
the Dzi Croquettes,

because I used to dance
at parties and ballrooms.

I danced wherever I went
and I always stole the show,

without taking dance lessons.

Paoletti was my best friend.

He never did anything over,
he had self-control.

But he was so elegant!

I remember him at the parties,
just extraordinary!

Paoletti was extraordinary,
his dancing was unique!

I've never seen
anyone move like him!

I never had dancing lessons,

but I've always been on TV,
I've always loved the scene.

I remember Paoletti dancing
to a song by 'Novos Baianos'.

He looked so clumsy,
but had a swing.

Paoletti was tall and thin,
with huge legs, and so funny!

Paoletti was very polite
and sophisticated.

Very funny...
Humor is very important.

Humorous people are special.

After Paris,
a famous British producer

invited us to go to London
and meet him.

We met and talked.

The deal was London for one year,
and then Broadway.

"No, we miss Brazil

and we don't know
when we're going back."

A farmer from Bahia,
who saw us in Paris, invited us...

And that evil spirit
invited them to come back.

I was against it and said,
"I don't think you should go."

She said, "I don't have
a good feeling about this trip.

There's something
strange about it."

And it happened.

I didn't want to come.

"What are you going
to do in Bahia?

New York is the place to go."

I voted against it and lost.

Most of them wanted
to come back to Brazil.

We went to a millionaire's farm.

We stayed in the middle
of the jungle

with 2, 5kg of pot
and 250g of cocaine.

That's when things start
falling apart.

We were debuting in Salvador
when a major fight

between Tovar and Lennie Dale
over a staircase took place,

and Lennie quit.

The scenery never returned.
It stayed in Europe.

There wasn't any money
to buy wood

and build a wood structure like it was.

I decided to do
something different,

Dzi Croquettes in Bahia,
in a public feast.

He built a staircase,
and Lennie didn't like it.

A staircase.
That's it.

A huge staircase as if we were...

at Largo do Bonfim.

No!

I said, "Tovar."

I thought I was pleasing him.

But I wasn't.

When things went bad,

it was always Lennie who started it.

He was too crazy,
doing heavy drugs.

"I'm not doing it.
"We had a huge fight.

And he didn't do the show.

I was so insecure...

When we feel insecure
we can do stupid things.

He was totally out of reality
and things fell apart.

I thought it was just another fight
of the millions we had in our group.

No, it was serious.

Why did it end?

It was something so small!

That's when they really split.

There's a time for everything.

I don't know if maybe
we'd still be together.

It was really sad.

A relationship
between 2 people is hard,

imagine 13 people living together,

loving together, crying together,
sharing their success.

Each person
needs their own space.

The group splitted.

9 of them stayed and Fernando Pinto
came to direct the second show...

with just a part of Dzi Croquettes,
without Lennie, without Wagner...

Me and Wagner Mello wrote it.

Jorginho was discovered
by Wagner Mello.

We didn't know
who could do the Pierrot.

They needed a Pierrot.

The story was about Pierrot,
Colombina e Arlquim...

and the Carnaval on stage
with Dzi Croquettes.

Claudinho Gaya played Colombina,
Cl�udio Tovar, Arlequin...

and I came to play Pierrot.

"Romance" opened,
It didn't work out.

It was not a hit.

'Romance' was very square.
It was beautiful, but very square.

The second show had a narrative,
That the first did not have it.

And that freedom
was not there anymore.

They went to Paris,
with 'Romance'...

In Paris I saw our name on subway,
posters on the streets...

The audience in Paris
didn't accept 'Romance'.

It didn't have that uniqueness
of the first.

It was more like a musical comedy.

But it served to maintain
the group together.

The conclusion:
We stopped with 'Romance'.

And we decided to do another show:
"Les Speakerines".

That Dzi Croquette's spirit
from the begining...

when each one created a
character, our costumes...

became 'TV Croquette'.

Do you make money with Dzi Croquette?

No, but it gives me pleasure.
Gave me pleasure...

We did make money at certain times.

We are starting over now.
Let's see if it will make money.

Then we created TV Croquette,
and the Dzi spirit returned.

It was a hit!

The show was beautiful.
In the end Tovar would say...

'lf we're all ignorants,
we must be insane. '

It started slowly and
became a huge hit in late 70's.

That's when I lost it.

Suddenly I was wearing a dress,
with ribbons in my hair...

with Brazilian flags,
giving out flyers with your dad.

Your father, he was very important
to us, with his knowledge.

Am�rico Issa.
You gonna make me cry.

Am�rico designed the lighting.

If I remember your father?
Of course.

We did a lot of jobs together.

I remember your father...

I was in a play where
Cl�udio Tovar did the set.

I remember your father molding
a rose in clay.

A great set designer.

I remember his talent.

A very talented person,
precious hands. Everyone loved him.

He redecorated
my whole house.

In one week I was
in a brand new home.

I liked him very much.
I loved him!

Precious Am�rico.

I can say I remember you very young,
the cutest thing in the world...

with your father and your mother
living with us.

I remember you...

The cutest little thing... Blonde.

I remember when you were little.

Very little.

Yes, I remember very well.

Daddy!

My dad put me to sleep
in the theater,

and I watched
the show in the dark.

It was like a fantasy, a dream.

But that was my reality.

1980.

Awareness, for me, began in
the middle of the 80's.

80 or 81.

81, 82.

Have you ever heard
about the 'gay cancer'?

Yes, gay cancer.

When I heard about
the 'gay cancer'.

Gay cancer,
all that mistery...

A friend of mind ask me:

Have you ever heard
about "gay cancer"?

Ridiculous...

It was proved later on that
it wasn't a homosexual disease

and that there were
no limits to it.

No one knew.

People infected each other
without knowing.

I heard that Marquito
had the gay cancer.

The first one with that
AIDS 'thing' was Marquito.

Marquito, designer of the stars,
died in New York.

He was a wonderful designer
at the time, a friend of ours.

Marquito died at the age of 30,

a victim of a newly discovered disease,
which destroys the body's defenses.

It was the first time
I heard about AIDS.

And Marquito died.
It was a surprise to us.

It began to spread to our friends.

Some of them were part
of the first AIDS victims group.

And it was a shock.

The losses in
our group to AIDS:

Paoletti;

Eloy, who died in Europe;

Lennie; Gaya...

I was with Gaya.

I took care of him
until the very end.

I remember
eating lunch with him,

and he told me,
"I have AIDS."

He had accepted it completely,
he was fine with it.

Over the years we had
surprises in our family.

Lennie returns to Dzi in 1991, ill,

and he asked me
as his last wish,

to be with
the Dzi Croquettes again.

"Honey, can you put on
the show for me?

I can't do it."

I love it!
It sounds just like Brazil!

A friendship
that lasted decades.

We were friends for as long
as he was on the planet.

It's hard
not to get emotional.

He was part of everything,

of when my daughter was born,
my son was born,

my marriages and divorces,
my success and failures.

It's a number
we danced together

that he originally
danced with Carlinhos.

And in the remake
I danced with him.

It was like a farewell.
I knew he was leaving.

We'd get closer and closer

and then we hit
each other's head,

and he began to cry.

And at that moment
everything came back,

way back when I met him at 17,
my whole story, everything,

where his hands had led me...

It was very touching,
and still is... Today.

I want to be love
das Leonardo La Ponzina.

I went to NYC to say goodbye.

He's here.

I know that everything
I ever dance, sing or do;

he'll always be here.

I didn't lose him.
He's inside me.

Unfortunately,
most of them are gone.

They're waiting
for us up there.

Eight of them died.

Out of the 13,
there are 5 left.

Out of the 8,
4 died of AIDS.

One had an aneurism, Roberto.

Roberto De Rodrigues, Rose,
died of cerebral aneurysm.

And three of them
were murdered.

The Dzi casualties
were not of AIDS only,

some of them were killed,

like Reginaldo.

The Queen, or Reginaldo,
was killed in Paris.

Reginaldo's death was very strange...

Someone knocked on the door,
he opened it,

just like you open your heart.

He was killed
by blows to his head,

and found on the following day
dressed like a saint.

The person who killed him
had a type of concern,

or maybe regret,
and certainly knew him.

Many of them were murdered.
Wagner was killed,

Carlinhos Machado was killed.

Someone broke into his apartment.

It was a burglary,
they took everything.

They tied him up...

Filled his mouth with rags.

They put socks.
It was horrible!

They tied him up in a sheet.

He died all...

He fell on the floor,
hit his forehead on the floor

because Roberta Close
lived right below.

We believe that he was trying
to catch her attention.

He had a tumor here.

And he died suffocated.

Wagner was killed
in the ranch he lived

with his French boyfriend.

Wagner was my best friend,
my closest friend.

And I...

The guys who had washed
his car on the previous day

went back to talk to him;
there were three of them.

The boy washed his car,
and took a look around.

As Wagner went down
to talk to them, he was subdued.

They were told to lie
on their belly.

The two of them
were immobilized.

Their only chance was
to run in opposite directions.

Wagner knew that if he ran,
the guy would follow him

and Tony would escape,
and that's what happened.

He ran and screamed
and was shot under the tree

where he wanted to be buried.

And he was murdered

in the ranch he loved so much.

It devastated me,

the way his life ended.

He was shot in the back.

I often

remember and wonder

how Wagner's
last minute was like.

What happened?
What happens when you are shot?

I've always thought about it.

Is it the best way
for a person like him to die?

But it's an unexpected death,
just like his life.

It was a wonderful time!

I can move onto a
different atmosphere,

go through earth,
very happy.

I can say I'm a happy man.

When something is that real,
you can't reproduce it.

It died with them,

but it was for myself, and probably
for my whole generation,

a huge influence.

The Dzi Croquettes left their mark
in each one of us, artists,

who had the opportunity
to see them,

and drank from the spring.

Giving themselves.
All that generosity.

Interpreting an important
and unconventional moment,

time, vision;
it was revolutionary!

They were crazy,

they were free!

My word to describe
the Dzi Croquettes

is masculinity.

The joy of freedom.

Dzi Croquettes stirred up
people's sensuality and sexuality.

They were revolutionary men
who tried to show to the world

that human beings are madeof males and females.

We didn't know ourselves
who we were,

we simple were.

They took us to an inner place

and they fulfilled
their mission like a comet,

that flew over Brazil,
over the world,

and each one of us.

They were certainly
very happy.

That's why it was a success.

We've never stopped
being Dzi Croquette,

we're not ex-Dzi Croquette;
we'll always be.

The way of thinking,
acting, doing...

I still have it.

Neither men nor women: People.

Dzi Croquettes,
you can't define them;

only those who saw them.

It was wonderful!

Unforgettable
for those who saw them.

I see inside myself
the mark they left.

Libertarians.

Free and libertarians.

Ciro Barcelos
is a successful actor.

His play "S�o Francisco de Assis"
was watched by over 1 million people.

Benedicto Lacerda
is a tourist guide,

and has taken tourist all over
the world for more than 20 years.

Rog�rio de Poly stayed in Paris.

He's still an actor and shares
his time between Brazil and France.

Bayard Tonelly is an actor,
director, choreographer

and just released
his poetry book "Dzi in Verso."

Cl�udio Tovar continued his career
as an actor, costume and set designer

and won many prizes, establishing
himself in the theater scene.

Am�rico Issa was part of
Dzi Croquette's technical staff

from 1976 to 1980.

The end.