She came on like the Amazon, with a driving, hard beat—as if perhaps to threaten the clouds and clear the sky, or else to wake up the more than 6,000-person crowd and let them know who was in charge at the boards. She was Ana Paula, Rio’s deejay sensation, making her debut as the headliner for Winter Party Festival Beach Party, and with that thundering opening, Paula got the attention of the crowd—and made sure that they listened—really listened—to her music and followed her lead.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, Paula gave the record-breaking, capacity crowd a booty-shaking journey through Brazilian rhythms and American vocals that kept the boys cheering like it was Mardi Gras in Rio. And given the Carnival-influenced set, with its tropical colors, and South Beach’s own Carmen Miranda (aka Holly Goheavy, exuding as much star wattage as the flashes of the paparazzi focused on her every costume change—four in all) joyously gyrating atop a box, it was small wonder that people cavorted like Cariocas on holiday.

Sponsored by Showtime (home of gay-friendly fare such as Nurse Jackie and the Tudors), this year’s Winter Party Festival Beach Party, alongside its sister event, the Miami Recognition Dinner, raised much-needed funds for local LGBT service organizations such as Pridelines Youth Services, which helps local LGBT youth. As the Task Force likes to say, this was a party with a purpose—and the purpose was to give back while having muito fun.