Samba schools in Rio prepare for the parade of champions

The barracks of the Special Group samba schools that will participate in the parade of champions on Saturday (25) are moving to repair the allegories that may have suffered damage on the way back from the Sambadrome to Cidade do Samba, in the port region of Rio , where the associations’ carnival is prepared. The rigor of the official parade and concern for the judges will be put aside in this presentation, for which the first six classified in the 2023 carnival in Rio de Janeiro promise a show at Marquês de Sapucaí.

The expectation is again to have a good public presence in the bleachers, chairs, boxes and boxes, as occurred in the two days of the official parade.

Big River

Entrance to Passarela do Samba is in reverse order of classification. The first to be received by the public is Grande Rio, which was in sixth place, with the plot that spoke about the singer and composer Zeca Pagodinho. The Duque de Caxias school, in Baixada Fluminense, took to the avenue details of the artist’s life, with emphasis on the faith he has in São Jorge and Cosme Damião and in the orixás Ogum and Oxum. Zeca has already promised that he will be at Marquês de Sapucaí, commanding the public from the top of the last car, where in the official parade he was next to his wife Mônica and other relatives and friends.

Carnival director Thiago Monteiro said that professionals at the shed are assessing the damage to the cars this afternoon, but added that a lot of things were unharmed. “We are here with our team working to bring back the champions and offer that wonderful audience another show from our school. Tomorrow we are going to get ready to remove the cars [do barracão] and take it to the concentration. Grande Rio feels very honored to participate in this parade”, he told Agência Brasil.

Hose

Next, it will be Mangueira’s turn, which wowed the public on Passarela do Samba in the early hours of Carnival Monday with the theme As Áfricas que Bahia sings. The day cleared up during the passage of the green and pink at the Sambódromo and the school was followed by a veritable block that formed with those who had, until that moment, been watching the parades. The director of the Mangueira shed, Tânia Bisteka, said that it will not be necessary to repair the floats and that the school will be complete for the parade of champions.

Hummingbird

At Beija-Flor in Nilópolis, carnival director Dudu Azevedo said that work is being done to recover the allegories and that the school will go to the avenue on Saturday with the strength of its community. “The shed once again doing all the work to deliver a great parade. All the professionals are working here for Saturday to put on a big parade, ”he said.

Beija-Flor came in 4th place with the plot Brava Gente, the cry of the excluded in the bicentennial of independence, and recalled July 2, 1823, when Brazil’s independence took place in Bahia. Still in the concentration, a few minutes before entering the avenue, there was a moment of tension when a small fire reached part of an allegory. Firefighters acted quickly, there were no injuries and the car followed the parade without the component that would go to that place hit by the fire.

Vila Isabel

According to Vila Isabel’s carnival director, Moisés Carvalho, only minor repairs will be needed and the school will be back strong on Saturday. “We had a great parade last Monday and, now, we’re going back on the Saturday of the champions to celebrate the result and thank the public for their support and receptiveness. We are only making small touches to the allegories, since everything has been well preserved. We will be complete on the avenue again ”, he assured.

Turnover

The runner-up, with a difference of only 1 tenth to the first, took to the Passarela do Samba the plot Rosa Maria Egipciçaa, the first black woman to write a book in Brazil and forgotten by history. Alex Fab, who shares Viradouro’s carnival board with Dudu Falcão, said that a report was prepared this morning (23rd) to define the carrying out of repairs. “The goal is always to put on the biggest show possible, to repeat. Time is short for preparation, we have a mechanical problem in one of the cars, presented on the return to the shed in an oil pump that was leaking, so, we are focusing on this tripod of ours. But we managed to return without major damages”, he added.

With regard to the costumes of the components, Alex Fab recalled that in the case of the Baianas, they are all collected by the school at the exit of the Sambódromo because transport is difficult for the members of the ward. “There is a whole logistics. We go back to the shed and the studio team makes an assessment to be able to deliver again”, he said.

For the director, each year the schools improve the logistics system both in transporting the allegories and costumes from some wings to the Sambódromo, as well as the return to the shed. “That includes a large staf of people. It is an investment that the school makes to return on the Saturday of the champions”, he said, adding that many members of the team participate in the parade, such as the drivers of the allegories, technicians and pushers of the cars.

Empress

The parade of champions ends with the presentation of Imperatriz Leopoldinense, who won the 2023 carnival, after 22 years without winning a title. The carnival designer Leandro Vieira was inspired by cordel literature to develop the plot O aperreio do cabra that the excommunicated man treated with ill-will and the blessed one did not give shelter and told the life of Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, known as Lampião, showing what he was made of him after death. The plot pleased the community that embraced the story and animated the official parade.

The carnival director, Mauro Amorim, said that there was not much damage in transport from the Sambódromo to the barracão in Cidade do Samba and that the school will repeat the presentation that guaranteed the title on Saturday. “We go with the full school and the expectation is the best possible. We want to give the show back to the audience it deserves. Let’s take the school complete with everything that happened on the avenue. With regard to repairs, these are just details that happen in relation to transportation on the way to and from the trip, but they are just details. It had no malfunctions. Carnival goes perfect to the avenue again”, he assured the report.

Carnival designer Leandro Vieira, who had already won two titles in Mangueira in 2016 and 2019, transferred to Imperatriz in the Special Group, after also having taken the school to the championship in the Série Ouro last year, which allowed the green and white de Ramos returned to the elite of the Rio carnival to now be champion again. For fans, Leandro has already broken the news that he will remain at Imperatriz in 2024.

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