Girls from Sinhá: transformation through art in Belo Horizonte

Who sees the contagious joy and the full skirts of Sinha’s Girls in several cultural festivals across the state, you may not realize it, but the group is one of the biggest references of social transformation through art in Belo Horizonte. O #hellocity, a Motorola project that encourages a new look at cities, presents here some of the many stories of overcoming these elderly girl-women. Many of them carry difficult life trajectories. But today, they see the world with lighter eyes and help other people connect with joy.

The origin of all this joy comes from moments of pain. 21 years ago, women from the Alto Vera Cruz neighborhood, in the East Region of Belo Horizonte, gathered in a space where they shared cases and experienced different experiences from those they had at home. The idea was from Valdete da Silva Cordeiro, affectionately called Dona Valdete by all.

In interviews and public presentations, Dona Valdete — who died in 2014, aged 75 — declared that she decided to create the group after observing the neighborhood ladies leaving health centers loaded with medicines for various diseases, such as depression and hypertension. In the meetings, in addition to conversations, the women did exercises in body language, singing and dancing. In 2006, they became a musical group with the recording of the album “It’s falling down”in which they sing the songs that enlivened the meetings and changed the lives of the members for the better.

Today, during rehearsals, conversation and relaxation set the tone. Between one song and another, stories from family, friends and lots of laughter are heard. Some are more talkative, others are looking forward to snack time (a very typical coffee with cookies), and another group pulls concentration back to training. The group of ladies in their 70s has the energy to envy a lot of kids.

In the rehearsal we followed, one of the most animated was Maria Geralda de Paula. At the height of her 79 years and with her long fingernails painted light blue, she was in charge of a small shequere, a type of rattle she made herself. With the Girls of Sinhá, she has already visited Poland. But it’s the rehearsals, in Belo Horizonte, that she likes best. “They’re like my second family, and when they’re together it’s just such a joy,” she says.

Maria Geralda is one of the oldest members of the group. “It was my daughter who insisted that I participate, I ‘was’ very sad, I didn’t want to leave the house or talk to anyone, but in 15 days I was already a different person, with high self-esteem”, says she, who is a girl from Sinha for 20 years.

Art and play to transform

What started out as uncompromising prose ended up approaching the universe of art through folk and circle songs. The playful character was what helped many girls to overcome sadness and depression. “Today I live the childhood I never had”, says, moved, Joana D’Arc Coutinho, 56 years old. She joined the group about 13 years ago when she struggled with depression and alcohol problems. Today, she dedicates a good part of her time to repaying the support she had from the other women in the group.

Joana says that she started working as a child and barely knew other regions of Belo Horizonte besides Alto Vera Cruz. Thanks to Meninas de Sinhá, she has already visited several Brazilian cities and states and even traveled by plane, an experience that was an overcoming in itself. “At first, I panicked, I kept remembering Mamonas Assassinas! But, the second time, I ‘was’ used to it and I wanted it to last longer”, recalls Joana.

dating and partnership

So that the group can transmit all the joy to the public, it takes a lot of discipline. The person responsible for demanding attention and presence at rehearsals is the current president of the group, Maria Gonçalves Santos, 79 years old. She joined the other girls in 2001, at the invitation of Dona Valdete.

“It is a great honor to chair the group. Here, I learned to be more patient and to deal with people in a calmer way”, says Maria. She confesses that she used to have quite a temper. And she explains that, to be part of Meninas de Sinhá, any candidate must show interest in the purpose of the group, which performs several solidarity presentations.

According to her, the candidates must “date” the group for a while. It is necessary to participate in the rehearsals, identify with the other participants and “show that you really want to participate”, as the president says. Who went through this process recently was another Maria. Maria da Conceição Paulo, nicknamed Pretinha, 73 years old, has been a member of Meninas de Sinhá for just over two years. She says that she “flirted” with the group since she was 66 and, whenever she could, went to rehearsals and meet the girls.

Today, what she likes most about the group are the free presentations they put on in the various nursing homes in the capital of Minas Gerais. “It is very gratifying to see how happy they are to receive us. There you see your tomorrow. I like to share joy. It’s good for them and, for me, it’s even better”, says Pretinha.

Now that you already know a little more about the Girls of Sinhá, how about throwing yourself into the city to see the performances up close? check the group schedule and be sure to share the photos with the hashtag #hellocity🇧🇷 Reconnect with BH at hellomoto.com.br🇧🇷