Samba schools ready for giant Rio Carnival

World
Europe

Thousands of dancers from Rio de Janeiro's elite samba schools rolled out their traditional parades of feathers and sequins, combined with a large dose of social and political commentary, as the main business of the giant annual Carnival got underway on Sunday.

It's the first Carnival since the election last year of President Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right leader who rode a wave of support from conservatives and evangelical religious groups who hold a dim view of the Carnival's excesses.

In total, 14 samba schools from the elite "special group" will parade on Sunday and Monday nights at the packed purpose-built stadium known as the Sambodrome, to compete for the prestigious Carnival title.

Each school, featuring up to 4,000 shimmering dancers, elaborate giant floats and deafening percussion, will take 75 minutes to parade down the 700-meter Sambodrome track.

The Carnival formally kicked off Friday with the traditional symbolic passing of a key to the city to the festival-leading "King Momo" character, unleashing giant street parties known as "blocos" in Rio, Sao Paulo and across Brazil.

One of Sunday's most anticipated groups is current champions Beija-Flor, which triumphed last year with floats depicting violence and corruption in Brazil.

This year, the school will tell the story of its 70 years in existence under the theme "The Fables of Beija-Flor".

The parades begin at 9:15 p.m. (0015 GMT) and last well into the early hours of the morning.

The two biggest schools, Portela and Mangueira, are among those participating on Monday.

A reveller takes part in the Carmelitas street party in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. /AFP Photo‍

Portela's parade will pay tribute to Brazilian singer Clara Nunes, an icon of the 1970s and the first artist of her time to publicly defend Afro-Brazilian religions.

A section of their parade will feature dancers in costumes designed by French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier.

The other major school, Mangueira, will perform what its artistic director Leandro Viera calls the "B-side" of Brazilian history, with a parade extolling the heroes and heroines of the country's long-sidelined black, indigenous and poor populations.

The troupe will also honor black city councilor Marielle Franco, a respected and outspoken defender of human rights in the slums of Rio, who was shot dead in March last year.

Authorities expect seven million people, including one and a half million Brazilian and foreign tourists, to participate in this outdoor party.

Source(s): AFP