Thesambathatcomesfromthesambaschools

Samba School Judging Results 2019

It was Ismael Silva who defined it: bum bum paticumbum prugurundum. The onomatopoeia came off the cuff, in an interview with Sérgio Cabral pai, in an attempt to explain what the surdo's rhythm marking the samba's cadence would sound like. It ended up becoming Império Serrano's samba enredo, in the legendary 1982 carnival, when the Madureira school was champion. And, to this day, it is perhaps the best definition of the rhythm born in Estácio, typically carioca, which reaches its peak in the schools' parade through the famous sambódromo.

Image description: This is a photograph of a samba performance at the Sambódromo in Rio de Janeiro, during the official opening of Carnival 2018. In the image, several people dressed in white outfits are dancing and holding colorful flags. The main flag, in green, white, and red, bears the names "Grêmio Escola de Samba Império Serrano" and "Grande Rio." The people are arranged in rows, with some in front and others behind, creating a vibrant and festive scene. The background shows a crowd of spectators watching the performance.

Taken literally, the word “sambódromo” is made up of the Greek term drómos and means something like “samba way.” And Rio’s sambódromo is indeed part of a street: Marquês de Sapucaí, in the city’s nerve center. An avenue flanked by huge concrete grandstands, with the unmistakable arch-shaped sculpture in the background, crowning Praça da Apoteose. It is there that, every carnival since 1984, the greatest show on Earth takes place.

Photo: Thiago Diniz - Samba School Parade

Image description: The image is a photograph of a nighttime procession. In the center, there is a statue of a figure dressed in a red robe and a golden crown, raised on a float covered with white and red flowers. On the right, a crowd of people is watching the ceremony, seated on the bleachers. In the lower right corner, there is a blue panel with white text. The sky is dark, indicating that the photo was taken at night.

The history of the Sambadrome is full of curious facts. Starting with its official name: Passarela Professor Darcy Ribeiro. It's a tribute to the anthropologist who was the mastermind behind the idea of creating a fixed venue for the parades. Before that, samba schools held their carnival in places like Praça Onze, Campo de Santana, Avenida Rio Branco, and Avenida Presidente Vargas. With the construction of the 700-meter-long, 13-meter-wide monument, designed by none other than Oscar Niemeyer, Rio's Carnival increasingly took on the air of a spectacle.

Image description: The image is a photograph of a nighttime event, possibly a carnival parade. On the left side, a woman is dressed in a white outfit adorned with crystals, holding a blue and white flag. She is smiling and making a hand gesture. Beside her, a man is dressed in a white suit and is also smiling, looking straight ahead. Both are in a setting lit by stage lights, with a crowd of onlookers in the background. Colorful flags are scattered throughout the area, suggesting a festive atmosphere.

But the parades of the samba schools are not the only thing that this runway lives on. The sambadrome is also a stage for events that have nothing to do with Carnival, such as rock concerts. And it is the setting for the most tense moment of each Carnival: the tallying of the parade scores, usually on Ash Wednesday. A spectacle in its own right. All eyes turn toward the measured, faceless voice that echoes from the stage set up right in front of Praça da Apoteose. It is only with the announcement of the highest score achieved in each category that the somewhat tense silence of those absorbed in the occasion is broken: “10! A perfect 10!” The utterance of this short phrase is always followed by applause, whistles, vuvuzelas, and shouts of celebration.