Vira Silenti

Vira Silenti (16 April 1931 - 1 November 2014) was an Italian actress.

Career

Born in Naples as Elvira Giovene, Silenti debuted as child actress at ten years old in Una notte dopo l’opera (1942). She studied law at the university and enrolled at the dance school of Jia Ruskaja, then she left her studies to devote herself to the acting career. One of the most active actresses in the Italian television between fifties and sixties, she slowed her activity after her marriage with the film producer Ermanno Donati, until her retirement in early 1980s.

Death

Silenti was struck by a car on 31 October 2014 in Rome, Italy. She died the next day from her injuries at the age of 83.

Selected filmography

Vira

Vira may refer to:

Vira (Gambarogno)

Vira is a former municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.

On 25 April 2010, the former municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra Gambarogno, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira Gambarogno merged in the new municipality of Gambarogno.

Geography

Vira (Gambarogno) has an area, as of 1997, of 11.99 square kilometers (4.63 sq mi). Of this area, 0.53 km² (0.20 sq mi) or 4.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 10.39 km² (4.01 sq mi) or 86.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.56 km² (0.22 sq mi) or 4.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.14 km² (35 acres) or 1.2% is either rivers or lakes and 0.51 km² (0.20 sq mi) or 4.3% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.0% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.7%. Out of the forested land, 73.1% of the total land area is heavily forested, while 11.8% is covered in small trees and shrubbery and 1.8% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.3% is used for growing crops and 3.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water. Of the unproductive areas, 3.2% is unproductive vegetation and 1.1% is too rocky for vegetation.

Vira (dance)

The vira is a traditional dance from Portugal. It is most popular in the Minho region but is performed in every region. It has a three-step rhythm which is very similar to a waltz, but it is faster and the couples dance front-to-front without holding hands.

Another way to dance the Vira is as follows: Matched pairs form a big circle that evolves inverse clockwise, while snapping their fingers. At a certain time the boys leave their pairs in the circle and go to the center, where they hit the floor with their right foot, and return backing into their respective pairs. The circle starts to rotate again, and the next time the circle stops it will be the girls that will go to the center. They do this alternately.

Some Portuguese composers have adapted the Vira into their compositions. For example, Manuel Raposo Marques (1902-1966) incorporated it into a choral work recorded by the Orfeon Académico de Coimbra.

References