SOUTHEAST BRAZIL - Brazil - page 59

TIPS FOR VISITORS
Transport: Take the metro. Use
Central Station if your ticket is
for an uneven numbered sector
and Praça Onze for an even one.
Winner's Parade: Those who
missed the event can see part of
the parade by winning schools
on the Saturday after Carnaval.
Tickets: Book your tickets in
advance (Maracanã stadium box
office, [phone]).

Party-loving Cariocas consider
Carnaval more important than
any other event in the calendar,
and that includes both Christmas
and New Year. It is a week-long
holiday for partying around the
clock and a sign that summer is
finally coming to a close.

A different theme is chosen by every school, and conceptualized
by the carnavalesco (director). The history of Espírito Santo,
represented by the state colors, pink, blue, and white, was the
theme of the Caprichosos de Pilares school in 2006. This float
shows antropofagismo , the concept of “cultural cannibalism,”
putting foreign art, music, and literature in a Brazilian context.

The central display is the focal point of the
float, and is often the most elaborately
designed aspect, with the most creative
costumes on display.

Passistas , or participants, numbering a
minimum of 2,500, join each float with at
least 200 in the bateria (percussion section).

THE PARADE
Each of the 12 main samba schools will have around 4,000
participants who must cover the Passarela do Samba in not
less than 65 minutes and not more than 80 minutes. In that
time, they will put on a performance every bit as complex
and visually exciting as any musical showing on Broadway
or in London's West End. Six schools parade each night.

Mestre sala is the school's dance master
who, along with the porta bandeira ,
performs a complex series of dance
steps as they move along the route.

Sambódromo , or Passarela do
Samba, was inaugurated in 1984.
Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, it can
accommodate over 60,000
spectators at any one time. The end
square is used for Carnaval,
outdoor concerts, and festivals.