Samba school
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A samba school is a dancing, marching, and drumming club. They practice and often perform in a huge square-compounds and are devoted to practicing and exhibiting samba, an Afro-Brazilian dance and dru
Portela. A Samba school parades in the Sambadrome in the 2014 Carnival.
A typical performer of Samba dance at Rio Carnival (2016)
Portela samba school, Rio de Janeiro, 2019. Photo: Guy Veloso
Front commission dressed as codfish in the parade of Imperatriz Leopoldinense (2007)
Rio Carnival
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The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is a festival held every year before Lent; it is considered the biggest celebration of Carnival in the world, with two million people per day on the streets. The first C
Samba school
…and media event, with tens of thousands in the live audience and screened live to millions across South America. The formal parades ("desfiles") during carnival, are a showcase of each main schools, enhanced by the participation of celebrities, fans and guests who often pay large sums of money for their elaborate…
Parade of Mangueira, one of the most traditional samba schools in the Rio Carnival
Drum Queen