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200 full-color photographs
216 pages
10-1/4 x 10-1/4"
Hardcover book with audio CD containing 20 live recordings from Rio de Janeiro
Published 2000
ISBN: 0-7892-0642-0
Stock Number: 6420
U.S. $45.00
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The bateria, the samba school's rhythm section, is made up of as many as 350 men. With its archaic sound, like that of a speeding steam locomotive, it is the force that drives the entire "train." More than half a mile long, it is the beating heart of the entire escola... |
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A traditional element of the school's presentation, and one required in competition, is the group (ala) of baianas, made up of at least 70 women over the age of 45. Through most of the parade the baianas generally perform only a kind of rocking step to the rhythm of the samba, but on certain refrains they all spin like children's tops... |
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The Desfile de Escolas de Samba do Grupo Especial is a competition. This fantastic, playful test of strength fans the competitive spirit of all its participants and assistants. From year to year, the concepts become increasingly successful and more original, the achievements greater... |
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For the dancers, singers, and musicians, the procession is the fulfillment of a dream, one that has made their difficult lives more bearable for a year. At Carnival time, social distinctions that make life so hard for so many no longer apply. The industrialist masquerades as a clown, the housemaid as a celebrated samba star of the Sambódromo, the government minister as a surdo player... |
• 36 Photographs: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
• About the music CD
• Read an interview with the
photographer Helmut Teissl and
view Carnival photos taken since
this book was published
• Return to Carnival in Rio home
The escolas de samba, or samba schools, are by no means academies in the traditional sense. They are carnival societies, much like the crewes of New Orleans' Mardi Gras festival. The name "school" derives from the fact that the first of the carnival societies, Deiza Falar ("Let Them Talk"), happened to meet—illegally at that time—in the Estácio district across the street from an elementary school. The next societies to be established were Mangueira and Portela, both in the 1920s. Today there are 60 escolas de samba in Rio. They are a major social force and a distinctly positive one, fostering a sense of community and belonging. For many in the favelas, they serve as extended families and provide needed assistance. Some of them, like Mangueira, maintain their own health clinics.
The annual carnival parades cost the samba schools enormous amounts of money. They raise much of it from ticket sales, television broadcasting rights, and dance events. Additional funds come in the form of gifts from members and sponsorships from the business community—and it is an open secret that some of the money comes from illegal gambling.
The samba schools are subject to a strict hierarchy. The highest rank, with 14 escolas de samba, is the so-called Grupo Especial. Next comes Grupo A, made up of ten samba schools. Both of these groups compete in the grand parade on the Rua Marquês de Sapucaí. Groups B, C, and D, with 12 samba schools each, parade on other streets, notably the Avenida Rio Branco.
Each samba school has its own distinct traditional colors, which are incorporated into their costumes and floats.
(The book lists the colors of 14 prominent samba schools, and the year each was founded.)
