Carnaval, also called carnival, is celebrated in many places throughout South America. Carnaval, as spelled in Portuguese, is a 4-day celebration. But things started up again in 1981, and now the town is known for having one of the best old-fashioned street carnivals around. This section of BTI is mainly a guide for the Carnival held in Rio de Janeiro. The festivities in Salvador and Olinda are very interesting, but may not be appropriate for foreigners -- this is because there are a lot of craziness going on that you may not approve -- and, well, it’s a long way back to the hotel by foot. Even so -- welcome to our page on Carnaval in Brazil and especially Rio. Watch this first clip that will show you how they film the procession of Carnaval in Rio.
There are now hundreds of these street “samba blocks”, that parade almost in every neighborhood, especially in Centro and the South Zone, gathering thousands of people. These zones are physically and culturally separated by hills. What is so cool is that these “blocks” allow foreigners to come and dance with them in the main parade at the Sambodromo. But before you ask, know that you have to be practicing with them for at least a few months. Still, it’s a chance of a lifetime -- look at this parade of Mangueira, winner of quite a few of the Carnaval trophies for best in show.
Bandas usually inspire a procession of dancers that follow them in their revelry. In addition to street bands are the blocks in which a kind of “block party” and parade festivities ensue. The smaller samba schools of the barrios organize Blocos, informal street processions. You don’t need a costume or a ticket, but their performance schedules are very flexible. And here’s a little history -- In 1850 there was the first procession with adorned floats, and after 1856 costumed revelers began taking to the streets in great numbers. The first cord, (groups of all male revelers) were formed in the mid-nineteenth century. It couldn’t get any more interesting. These guys are determined to make this their best effort in almost anything they do -- Carnaval in Rio is a once a year show.
It is the king in the paradinhas and turns of the samba, it’s the signal for the return of the other instruments. In the past, the repique dominated the paradinhas. They consist of an orchestra marching along a pre-determined route, followed by hordes of enthusiastic samba dancers dressed in costumes, bathing suits, plain clothes, and even in drag. The operation of a Banda is really quite simple. The queens of Carnival are nominated by each samba school to be their muses.
Most of the samba schools are based in the poorer and quite distant suburbs, but both Mangueira and Salgueiro are located no more than an R$30 (US$10) cab ride from Copacabana. Nor should you worry overly much about safety. There are a variety of rhythms from native Indian and African Maracatu beats to Frevo and samba. Carnival officially starts with the Galo da Madrugada, a party in downtown Recife attracting as many as 20,000 costumed partiers! Academicos da Opera, is Austin’s Samba School composed of a multitude of local drummers and dancers trained in performing authentic renditions of Rio’s great carnaval groups, the e scolas de samba . Director Robert Patterson, leader of Sambaxe among other Austin Brazilian groups, spends many weeks each year in Brazil learning new drum techniques and rhythms which he transmits to the group’s members in long, dedicated hours of rehearsing.
Gorgeous bodies, outrageous feathered costumes, swiveling samba rhythms and more! Over 100 artists, live music and hot rhythms of all kinds. After dinner, experience live Samba in the city where it was born, attend a Carnaval rehearsal, or spend the night dancing at a glamorous discotheque. Dozens of Samba Schools, consisting of hundreds of people, create elaborate performances which the display on the night of the parade. The band plays Samba music, which was brought to Brazil during the transatlantic slave trade.
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