It should be noted that samba schools are not traditional schools. Samba schools in Brazil are basically social and cultural groups that meet at regular intervals to learn and perform Brazilian samba dance, music and carnival costumes. One folklore says that the term ‘school’ originated from the time when the early sambistas used to rehearse near a teachers’ college.
Samba schools are a part of life of the people of Brazil. This is especially true for people who were born and brought up in Rio de Janeiro. Such gatherings take place so that members can rehearse the samba dance for the carnival parade in the Sambodrome . Each member of the samba schools are expected to participate in the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. It does not matter if he or she is a professional or a novice. Most of the performances are theme based with each samba school boasting of a master of ceremonies, flag bearer, bateria (drum section) and spectacular floats. The most popular samba schools usually perform on Sunday and Monday night whereas the others perform on Tuesday night.
Samba School in Brazil
Samba schools are the life of Rio de Janeiro. The name itself conjures up beautiful Brazilian women with swinging hips, dressed in mind boggling costumes. Full nudity is prohibited but often a glitter and body paint is used with minimal clothing. Anybody who has seen the Rio de Janeiro carnival admits that the effect is spectacular.
Characterized by singing and samba dance, these schools are fiercely competitive. In the city of Rio de Janeiro, one can see samba procession, where participants wear richly colorful and exotic carnival costumes. One should not get confused as most of the samba schools around Rio de Janeiro have the words Grêmio Recreativo e Escola de Samba (Fraternity Recreative and Samba School) before their names. In Sao Paulo, this becomes Grêmio Recreativo Cultural e Escola de Samba (Fraternity Recreative Cultural and Samba School). Some exceptions to these are
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