Best friends and stars of the hit 2017 reality TV show Fire Island, Jorge Bustillos and Khasan Brailsford came to Rio to celebrate Jorge’s birthday by performing in the Carnival.
Khasan Brailsford is no stranger to the stage as one of the most sought-after dancers and aerialists in the entertainment industry but performing in the Rio Carnival was like nothing he had ever done before. He was committed to getting underneath the skin of the culture of Carnival and its impact on the communities of Rio with his partner Jason by his side.
As a Latin-American from Venezuela, Jorge had a life-long dream to one day be part of Carnival and wanted to bring his closest friends to Rio to celebrate life and their connection. They contacted Experience Carnival with a brief to get them the biggest costumes and best school and we went to it.
We secured their positions for Villa Isabel, a school steeped in tradition and multiple Carnival wins. Their costumes were beautiful gold and turquoise and once the party arrived in Rio the Experience Carnival team went to surprise them with creations. It was quite the moment with squeals of excitement and joy. Samantha held an impromptu samba class and they were all singing the 2020 Vila Isabel song which had been sent to them a couple of months before. The song is the anthem of the school and the spectators know the songs of every school. It is like the passion of football fans’ songs.
On the day of the parade, the fierce foursome was picked up by Samantha and taken to the Sambodromo to meet their school and get in position. They were at the top of the float which in a lot of cases requires cranes to take you. The atmosphere was electric and they were in singing at the top of their voices, blowing kisses to the crowds right down the Avineda.
Kasan was blown away by the experience and as someone who has experienced performing with the likes of Pink and Beyonce, he was deeply touched by the emotion of the people watching and how much the event means to them. They felt it was such a privilege to have the opportunity and just wanted to do it again and again!