The contest, which has existed for more than a decade, is considered the largest in Amazonas related to Boi Garantido.
In an interview with g1, Isadora revealed that the invitation and desire to participate are old, driven by her strong connection with the Parintins folk festival.
"Every year people sent me messages to participate, people from Manaus, from Parintins, because I'm part of the Garantido Show. I was part of the Garantido Show de Parintins from 2022 to 2024, which is the official dance body of Boi Garantido. And this year I'm part of the official dance body of Boi de Santarém, but which is the Garantido Show de Santarém. So I saw a really great opportunity to participate in the festival and I felt like this was supposed to be the year", said the dancer.
The participation of a Santarena in the event carries historical weight. As a rule, the competition is restricted to residents or natives of the state of Amazonas. However, Isadora's artistic history in the association opened the doors for Pará representation.
"The importance of being an official representative of Santarém is a very big responsibility because the regulations are very clear that only people from the state of Amazonas can do so. But there is one thing that supports me in the competition, which is being part of an official Boi Garantido association. So, I am registered with the Garantido Show de Parintins", she explained.
To perform well on the "Morena Bela" stage, the routine has required much more than technical talent. Isadora describes the last few months as a test of resilience that affects the body and mind.
"It's an intense preparation, especially physical. There's a demand on people, it's the self-demand that I think most artists put a lot of pressure on themselves. It's such an inexplicable self-demand to do the best, to not disappoint. So, everything has been very intense: physical, artistic, emotional."
"I've been rehearsing a lot, I've been training, I've also been trying to improve aesthetically with partners, because there is a standard. As much as we want to break standards nowadays, there is still a standard, so we need to fit into everything and do our best."
Isadora's artistic career in Santarém is consolidated: she spent five years defending the item of Queen of the Crafts of the Tucuxi Dolphin at the Festival dos Botos, in Alter do Chão. This experience is the fuel she takes to the neighboring state.
"In these 5 years, I learned a lot. The appreciation of our culture, the connection we have with our item, the strength and experience we acquire... This helped me see the artistic universe in another way and contributed a lot to me being where I am today. I'm taking this essence of the Queen of the Tucuxi Ox Craftsmanship to Manaus with me, because people got to know me through the item."
"The cultural elements of Santarena culture are the expression of dance, of Pará dance, of northern dance, of Santarena dance. It's crafts, it's ceramics... Our Brazil is very rich, we can't close our heads and think that Brazil's culture is just the Amazon or just Pará. The combination of all this is what makes the North visible."
"It's a little delicate to talk about this part, because, at the same time that I received support from some groups and some artists, there are others who didn't mobilize, didn't say anything, didn't repost the video... It's a very delicate subject to talk about support from artists in the city itself, because it's something that we've been trying to break for years. We've been in this fight for years where there's room for everyone. I miss it a little, but I'm not going to encompass everyone, because there are groups that are supporting and helping in their own way."
Before taking the flight to Manaus on June 8th, the candidate will have a meeting with the Santarém public. On Sunday, June 7th, she will participate in the Toada na Praça event, where she will make her last official performance in the city.
"My expectation is to receive all the energy from the people of Santarém, from the groups, all the energy from the people who are accompanying me in this process. It is the expectation that I have that people will give me strength and embrace this moment together with me, because it is the strength of Santarém that I am carrying, not just as an individual artist. I hope that it will be an event where I can also take away some of the tension before the competition."
With determination, Isadora finishes by making clear what her objective is in the Amazonian arena: "It's not easy to be an artist, but it's very difficult not to be and not to do what we do. I'm going to do my best, I'm going to give my blood on that stage to bring this title to Santarém, God willing."
