Samba School

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Carnaval is a big holiday season in Rio. It takes place during the 40 days before Easter but preparation for it goes on all year long. During Carnaval about a dozen "samba schools" compete to present the best show of music, dance and costumes. Lusi is involved in some way with the Salgueiro Samba School which has won many of the annual completions. They practice every week and Lusi thought I might enjoy watching.
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I was much too tired to even contemplate it after a long day running around Rio. I would have thought that the samba school would run from something like 9 pm to midnight, but no way! It doesn't really get going until after midnight and lasts past 3 am. But after an evening nap I was refreshed and ready to go though Lusi did promise to send me home at 2 if I was too tire to stay. We arrived around 11.

The Samba School auditorium kind of reminded me of a high school gym. Not at all fancy. Inexpensive plastic tables and chairs. It held about a thousand people. A stage on one side and a corp of drummers high up on the opposite side. Most of the people were down on the main floor but Lusi had a small group in box seats up above.

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Much of the program was singing. Some very good, some not so good. A couple of speeches... very boring when you don't speak Portuguese and maybe even if you do. The drummers were very good.
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Then there was the dancing. It was wildly, beautifully sensual. I liked that part the best...

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Towards the end of my stay there was some kind of show on the floor with judging. There I saw the first signs of the elaborate feathery costumes they wear for the big competition at Carnaval.

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I had had enough by 1:45 and as promised, Lusi sent me home in a cab. Now that really was a wild ride. Much scarier than the motorcycles that morning!

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