fire light
The actress and dancer, with one of her boa constrictors - Photo: Publicity/Exhibition Cem Anos Luz

She was pure irreverence. Born 101 years ago and raised to reproduce the values ​​of the traditional family, Dora Vivacqua took other directions. Not by chance, the campaign “My body, my rules” would fit perfectly into her lifestyle, despite the fact that she never expressed herself in those words.

A native of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Dora wore her panties and top made of handkerchiefs on beaches in Espírito Santo, in the early 1930s, when the term bikini did not even exist. She didn't take long to break up with her family to try to make a living as an artist in the federal capital, Rio de Janeiro.

Detail: although a pioneer in the liberation of the body, she would not be in tune with another current campaign, the #ChegaDeFiuFiu. Dora, who first introduced herself as Divine Light, did her best to awaken the lust of others. She danced half-naked with two boa constrictors – Cornelius and Castorina.

It caused so much rage in the circus that it soon moved to revue, the popular theatrical genre at the time, marked by an appeal to sensuality and political satire. The change from the arena to the platform also involved changing the name to Luz del Fuego, inspired by an Argentine lipstick brand.

His stage talent was questioned more than once, but the success of his performances was indisputable. She soon became known throughout the country. And she didn't stop daring, even in other fields. She was one of the first Brazilians to fly a plane. And skydiving.

It didn't take long to start writing. In the first book, the autobiographical "Black-Out Tragic", he exposed the family's contradictions. In an attempt to assuage the scandal, the senator's brother, Atílio Vivacqua, tried to buy all the copies he could find.

Around this time, she started to gather friends to practice nudism on Joatinga beach, near her home, in São Conrado, Rio. Among the fans, Miss Gilda and Miss Lana, who presented themselves as transformists. “A nudist is a person who believes that clothing is not necessary for the morality of the human body,” said Luz del Fuego.

In defense of his ideas, he even tried to create a party, the Brazilian Naturalist Party (PNB), which ended up not being registered. He published a second book, “The Naked Truth”, where he also included principles of vegetarianism. He wanted to have his own space to practice naturism.

It didn't take him long to exchange his comfortable home for an island in Guanabara Bay, 15 minutes by boat from Ilha de Paquetá. It was an eight-thousand-square-meter Navy concession, mostly rocks and cacti, which Luz del Fuego turned into the country's first naturist colony.

Isla del Sol, as Luz del Fuego renamed it, had among its visitors the actor Steve McQueen (1930-1980). In July 1967, it was also the scene of the murder of Luz del Fuego and a housekeeper, a crime committed by men after a fortune that, in fact, she did not have.

Inspired by her and her ideas, singer Rita Lee composed and recorded “Luz del Fuego” in 1975, a song re-recorded by Cássia Eller 23 years later. In Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, where she was born, Luz del Fuego is revered today. Two weeks ago, on February 21, the day of Luz del Fuego's birth, the city government launched a stamp in honor of the actress and dancer. The idea came up last year, when the 100th birthday of the daughter, once disowned by the family, was celebrated. Sign of the times.


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