1. RIO CARNIVAL
The music played in Rio’s Carnival is predominately samba. It is a uniquely Brazilian music (mainly from Rio) and a dance form that started among the poor Afro-Brazilians. There are many different types of samba music, basically differing in the way how it is presented and how fast it is. Nevertheless the basic rhythm and accompanying dance style is more or less the same. The most involved groups in Carnival are the poorest neighborhoods, the slums called favelas. The favelas are shantytowns usually occupying the hills in Rio.
No matter how bad a situation the favelas’ residents are in, they join in the festivities and they actually “make” Carnival happen. Carnival really means a lot to them because for once during the year, they get to go out and have as much fun as they can. And you will see…they can indeed. Residents of the favelas are often members of a local samba school and are deeply involved with the preparations, performance and costumes of their groups – the samba schools. Carnival and samba is their passion alongside football.
The samba schools are associations of people from the same neighborhood, usually a working class community of the favelas and bring a sense of community and belonging. They get together on a regular basis for rehearsals and samba nights and are actually not teaching institutions as their name suggests.
The origin of the name "samba school" comes from the legend that the early sambistas used to rehearse in an empty lot near a college. “We also teach! Here the students learn to breathe and live samba!"
They have a huge impact on their neighborhoods, being the best organized entities in the favelas, with thousands of people joining the rehearsals - dancing, singing and boozing
The best samba schools create a pageant with 3,000-5,000 people for the Samba Parade. The samba schools have to pick themes, write music and lyrics, design and make costumes and floats and practice all year round to succeed in the competition. They have a strict hierarchy and are judged by many different criteria.
The schools raise money from ticket sales, television broadcasts and dance events. Some of the money, given by members and sponsorships, comes from illegal gambling.
Gays and drug queens also come and help out and become very involved. For everyone, this is a time to come together as a whole and have fun together. Brazil once becomes the most tolerant society.
However the highlight of Rio Carnival is undoubtedly the Samba Parade on Carnival Sunday and Monday.
2. THE SAMBA (SCHOOLS) PARADE
The Parade is the review of and actually a fierce competition in between the samba schools. The schools are subject to strict hierarchy.
The top 12 schools (the Special Group) march on Carnival Sunday and Monday, 6 different ones on both nights.
Each year a school is downgraded from the Special to the Access Group (also called Group A, which comprises the 12 less successful schools which parade in the Sambodromo on Carnival Saturday) and vice-versa.
The 5 schools that score best in the Special category, earn the coveted honor of marching again the following weekend, at the Champions' Parade on Saturday.
The judges and spectators watch the Parade in the Sambodromo which holds around 60,000 people. This can be considered as the "stadium" of samba. The Sambodromo consists of the parading Avenue (the samba run-way) and several concrete structures for the spectators (the Sectors) along both sides of the parading Avenue.
The Parade is not a street carnival, where people move chaotically about but more of a highly orchestrated show of vast proportions. Every parader has a specific role and place according to his costume in a particular wing at a particular section of the samba school he is parading in support of.
Each year each school chooses a different theme for the Parade. It can be celebrating a particular period or some famous figures of the Brazilian history, highlight a special event or talk about anything really what might move the spirit and imagination; like a special animal or the elements water, fire, etc.
The school has to illustrate the chosen theme through all its work - the samba music, especially composed and written for that year’s theme, the richly decorated floats and the costumes of their 3,000 to 5,000 parading members designed by the school’s carnavalesco (carnival designer).
The parade of every school is highly organized and designed. They line up in a unique way to present their pageant. The schools are divided into a number of sections and each section has a number of wings of about 100 people wearing the same costume. Sometimes even two wings (i.e. around 200 people) have the same costume design. You will find more info about the role and name of some special sections below.
As mentioned, the Parade is a really glorious competition, for which the scores are given by the judges. There are ten categories that decide which samba school will be the grand champion of the year. They are the Percussion Band, Samba Song, Harmony, Flow and Spirit, Theme of the Year, Overall Impression, Floats and Props, Costumes, Vanguard Group and the Flag Bearing Couple.
There are 4 judges of every category (altogether 40 of them) and they are spread along the samba avenue in their booths. Scores are given on a scale 5-10 (with fractions), 10 being the best one. The scores are counted and announced on Ash Wednesday, just after Carnival.
The costumes are extremely imaginative, colorful, elaborate and detailed. They are very original, designed and made from scratch each year. They have mirrors, feathers, metallic cloth, silk and sometimes gems or coins. These costumes take months to make and are begun to be put together roughly 8 months in advance.
Each samba school has its own distinctive colors and costume style. The biggest and most elaborate costumes are worn by destaques, members chosen with honor by the samba schools to wear these special costumes. The Parade starts at 21:00 and goes on until sunlight the next day, around 5-6 a.m. Each samba school has a time of 60 to 75 minutes to make it through the run-way.
4. THE SAMBODROMO
The Sambodromo (also known in English as Sambadrome or Sambodrome) is the "stadium" of samba. It consists of the parading Avenue (also called the samba run-way) and several concrete structures for the spectators (the so called sectors) along both sides of the Avenue.
The Sambodromo was designed by Brazil's world-famous architect, the modernist Oscar Niemeyer. It was purpose-built for the Samba Parade and inaugurated in 1984. Being made of concrete, it seems a bit dated for today’s post-modern eyes and feels derelict if not ugly, surrounded by slums, serving only little cultural events, during the year.
However, it comes to life and is really magnificent and totally overpowering, being lit up with all special effects, on Samba Parade nights, filled with thousands of cheering spectators and surrounded by other thousands of people who did not get in.
It can seat around 60,000 people, which is already far too few for the ever growing Rio Carnival Parade. However, it cannot be rebuilt not even extended since it is under protection.
