This story aired in the May 22, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents.
Carnaval in San Francisco is coming up this weekend! And if you've ever attended one of these giant, weekend-long parties, you’ve definitely heard the sound of many many drums beating in unison.
The drummers of Fogo Na Roupa are an Afro-Brazilian inspired dance group founded in the Bay Area. Last year, they had more than 400 dancers and drummers parading together in Carnaval. And, they’ll be back on the street for more fun, this Sunday!
This story is all about how music, culture and love are all part of the legacy of Fogo Na Roupa.
Click the button above to listen!
Story Transcript:
REPORTER: It’s Tuesday night at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. Upstairs around 60 Fogo Na Roupa members are all dancing and drumming together.
Watching the drummer's hands move at lightning speed and the dancers drip with sweat, I can see just how they got their name. Fogo Na Roupa, translates to "clothes on fire" in Portuguese.
LAURA PRINCE-MCGEE: I think I'm one of the new ones.
REPORTER: That’s Laura Prince-McGee, she's 48 and lives in the Mission. She’s surrounded by moms and kids who’ve been coming here for generations.
LAURA: I've only been here for about seven years.
REPORTER: That makes Laura the “new kid.” She’s one of the few members who dances and drums with Fogo.
Long before she joined, she would see the Fogo dancers at Carnaval in their bright costumes, sequins and feathers.
LAURA: At the end of Carnival we always wanted to find Fogo. No matter what group you are, you want to go find the Fogo drums and you want to jam with Fogo. You want to dance with the drummers.
LAURA: I just started coming and I just felt the love from the community and I made so many great friends.
REPORTER: “Love.” That's the word most members use to describe Fogo. They say it's more than just a group. It's a safe space.
LUCY RAMOS: The thing about Fogo is it's church.
REPORTER: That’s Lucy Ramos. She’s 41 and a therapist.
LUCY: We all have those hard days where you're like, “Maybe I'm gonna skip.” But my spirit feels so good that it's worth it.
REPORTER: Fogo started in the Bay Area in 1989, and Jose Rivera, well he was there almost from the start.
JOSE RIVERA: I feel like I'm always a student
REPORTER: Jose is a drummer, and when his friend told him about Fogo, he wasn’t sure about joining. But one evening he went to a class and immediately felt at home.
JOSE: My thing was like, “I just want to drum.” And they were like, “Yeah, come over and play.” That's the kind of environment that kept me to be in the group.
REPORTER: Jose says a big part of why he felt so welcomed was because of Carlos Aceituno, the founder of Fogo Na Roupa.
Carlos was born in Guatemala and immigrated to the Bay Area as a teenager. His first love was capoeira, so he visited Brazil every year and took students with him. In 2000, he became the first person outside of Brazil to earn the title of master practitioner of capoeira.
From capoeira he got into dance. But what everyone remembers most about Carlos is he had a lot of wisdom.
JOSE: We would talk on the phone for a long time and it's like, “Dude you're not even my girlfriend, why am I talking to you for a long time?”
REPORTER: About a decade after Jose joined, Metzi Henriquez wandered into Fogo Na Roupa. She’d just graduated from high school and a friend from her capoeira class told her to check it out.
METZI HENRIQUEZ: When I saw them and I felt them, it was just addicting.
REPORTER: Metzi says Carlos created a vibe that was electric and welcoming. Carlos made a place where immigrants – regardless of their background – could gather.
METZI: Carlos, I can't even begin to express what a special person this man was.
REPORTER: Carlos guided Metzi in her dancing, but also in life.
METZI: I would just listen to him talk, and I'd be like, “Damn, like, he's really, he's giving me some special stuff.”
REPORTER: Carlos would throw big parties that would go all night, and between the parties and classes, Metzi and Jose were spending all of their time together.
JOSE: Metzi’s so beautiful that at the time she had short hair and I'm like, “Oh man, she's really pretty.”
REPORTER: They instantly connected.
METZI: Jose was always there and he was fun to dance with. And he was respectful. He loved drumming so much and I love dancing so much.
REPORTER: Jose’s love of drumming, Metzi’s love of dancing turned into a love for each other.
They were young and having fun in Fogo, but bad news hit about Carlos:
JOSE: I had spoken to him the day before that he wasn't feeling well and I say, “Okay, so I'll see you tomorrow then.” And then after that, I received a phone call and he's gone.
REPORTER: Carlos died suddenly … that was in 2006. Jose and Metzi were still in shock.
METZI: But when his father asked us to keep his son alive, it just touched my heart .
REPORTER: Carlos’ family asked them to take over Fogo. It’s a big ask and they didn't know where their future was headed… but they said yes.
METZI: I remember coming to class, and teaching for me when he was gone was horrible.
How do I channel him being here so that I stay true to what he was teaching and what his intention was?
REPORTER: They decided to uphold Carlos’ legacy together: Jose teaching the drums and Metzi dancing. The couple got married in 2009.
MUSIC FADES IN
REPORTER: Besides teaching Fogo, Metzi was working as a therapist and about to have a baby. She says, juggling life and the group was challenging at first.
METZI: For me, motherhood was a blessing. Beautiful, and also really hard. Because I don't remember seeing kids or ever having seen a dance teacher teach pregnant.
REPORTER: But Metzi decided to be an example and she continued to teach through her three pregnancies.
METZI: All of my kids have always been around, since they were in my belly we taught full classes.
TLALI: Hello, my name is Tlali and I'm from Fogo Na Roupa and I have been dancing.
REPORTER: That's Tlali. Metzi and Jose’s youngest daughter. She's six.
LAURA: Like, it's a family.
REPORTER: Fogo member Laura Prince-McGee, says, by blending their kids, their community and their elders, Metzi and Jose have kept Fogo going.
LAURA: It always feels like Carlos is the spirit of Fogo, and Metzi and Jose are our leaders and they're the heartbeat of everything that happens here.
REPORTER: They've had plenty of obstacles. Like during the COVID-19 pandemic when they had to hold classes outside and on Zoom.
Today, Fogo is facing a new challenge. The Mission Cultural Center, where Fogo rehearses, is preparing for a seismic retrofit. Groups will have to vacate the space next July.
It’s hard for Jose to imagine leaving the center, even for a couple of years.
JOSE: This is our home, this is where Carlos would teach.
REPORTER: Metzi and Jose have a plan, though. They’ve secured a different rehearsal space in the Mission.
METZI: We want to be here. This is where the magic happens.
REPORTER: They have to keep dancing and drumming.
The last few weeks have been a constant ramp-up to Carnaval. Members have been busy putting the final touches on their costumes, rehearsing all of their moves, and throwing their annual fundraiser: Fiesta de Fogo
MUSIC FROM FUNDRAISER EVENT
REPORTER: Over 100 people packed into the social hall at St. Brendan’s Church in Forest Hill. There was plenty of food, drinks, and of course dancing. It was one big party.
Fogo drummers played for two hours, their instruments echoing out into the streets. Other members called people over to the dance floor.
Metzi Henriquez says, even after all these years, she’s energized by Fogo:
METZI: I feel so proud to be part of a community that is so giving and just exudes the energy of fire. It just completely takes over.
REPORTER: And pumps her up, as if it’s the first time she’s ever seen Fogo Na Roupa perform.
Note: This story was originally produced in the Audio Concentration at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.