In a faded rehearsal hall in the gritty concrete sprawl of northern Rio de Janeiro, samba dancers and drummers fine-tune their rhythms for a grassroots carnival parade few tourists have heard of.
Remnants of donated props and floats from parades past lie around the space under a viaduct that doubles as a driving school parking lot.
The scene stands in stark contrast to the glittering spectacle of the world-famous Sambodrome parade, which critics said has grown increasingly distant from the poor neighborhoods that sustain the roots of samba.
Photo: AFP
Drum master Americo Teofilo, 37, dreams of performing among the greats, but is proud to parade in a parallel event in Rio de Janeiro’s densely populated north zone, which he describes as “more for the people.”
“The one in the Sambodrome, I am not criticizing, but it is becoming more elitist. But I love both!” he said.
It has been 20 years since his storied samba school, Caprichosos de Pilares, last paraded down the Sambodrome avenue, before tumbling into the bottom division of a competition structured much like a soccer league.
Rio’s Carnival period started yesterday, with the top schools kicking off three days of glittering parades tomorrow.
Teofilo recalled how as a child, his whole family, despite being poor, could afford front-row seats at the Sambodrome. Now, tickets cost about US$300 each. This is roughly the minimum monthly wage in Brazil. The cheapest tickets in the grandstands are about US$35.
VIP boxes have multiplied along the avenue, with tickets selling for hundreds of dollars and the presence of celebrities such as soccer star Neymar or supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Some promote big-name DJs and music stars, which have drawn complaints and fines for drowning out the sounds of samba.
“Sometimes the parade is going on and the electronic music is there, you know?” Teofilo said.
The parade along Intendente Magalhaes avenue, where dozens of schools compete to claw their way up the ranks, is free to watch and pure homegrown samba.
Samba and carnival roots are deeply tied to poor, Afro-Brazilian neighborhoods, where community organizations known as samba schools evolved and work year round to make the show happen.
Performing in the top ranks now costs millions of dollars, which schools put toward towering floats, dazzling crystal and feather-covered outfits, and the pomp that make the parade a global attraction.
Paulinha Peixoto, 39, who leads the samba dancers, known for striking outfits and dizzying footwork, said putting on a show was “a team effort.”
“We know that the costs are out of our own pockets... One fixes the other’s hair, one helps with the other’s makeup. It’s samba in our feet, samba in our veins, love in our hearts, and that’s it,” she said, adding that making it to the Sambodrome was every dancer’s dream.
“It’s dazzling, it’s enchanting. But there’s a disconnect. Nowadays it’s a luxury carnival, a carnival of feathers, sequins, VIP boxes,” Peixoto said.
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