Samba Schools

Each Samba School represents a different neighborhood or social club from different areas of Rio. It's not a simple parade , but a competition between the schools attempting to gain points from their presentation composed of song, story , rhythm , dance , dress. It all starts the year preceeding Carnaval , as each samba school mobilises thousands of supporters who will create the various parts of the school's display. A theme is chosen , music written, costumes created, richly decorated floats built , while every detail is supervised by the 'carnavalesco ', the school director. By December, rehearsals have begun and, in time for Christmas , the sambas are recorded and released to record shops.
Since 1984 , the parade or 'desfile' takes place at SAMBODROMO , the samba parade ground , a concrete structure 900 meters long which can accomodate 100.000 people.
There are 14 samba schools from the 'special group' to perform. The first night, Sunday , 7 of these schools performe at the Sambodromo - Samba Parade Ground . Each of them has from 70 to 85 minutes to perform, and the parade finishes at the 'Praça da Apoteose' (the M shaped structure at the end of the avenue ). Each school has a different theme. Each samba school has an average of 4.000 participants.

Rehearsals

To prepare for such elaborate parades, Samba schools start rehearsals as early as August. About one month before carnival, they`re open to the public. Going to a Samba school rehearsal can be a great experience. You`ve probably never seen a woman move her hips and feet so fast in your life. The schools are usually far from your hotel and in poor neighborhoods so it`s recommended to go with a local to feel safe.