Costume and float-making
Whoever gets caught up in the exuberance of the floats, the dances of the mestres-salas and porta-bandeiras, the colors of the costumes, the harmony of the passistas, and the rhythm of the drum sections may not imagine that a samba school's soundtrack begins long before its parade down the avenue. Many months before the mestre's whistle signals the right time to kick things off, the daily life of a samba school is already filled with the pounding of hammers, the hiss of welding, and the noise of handsaws, drills, and power saws. The rhythm inside the workshops is frenetic, full of behind-the-scenes sounds that, throughout the year, produce the shapes and colors that amplify the energy and vitality of the parades through the Sambódromo.
Photo: Claus Meyer - Baianas Wing
Image description: This is a photograph of a carnival parade. On the left, we see a large curved structure with bright lights. In the center, there is a float adorned with festive decorations. On the right, a crowd of people watches the event. In the foreground, dancers dressed in colorful costumes in shades of orange and green are arranged in rows. The dancers follow an organized formation, with detailed and vibrant costumes.Since 1928, when Ismael Silva founded Deixa Falar, in Estácio, Rio's first samba school, these workshops had been improvised in house backyards, vacant lots, borrowed warehouses, or even under bridge and overpass underpasses. That lasted until 2005, when the schools received from the Rio de Janeiro city government a space in the Santo Cristo neighborhood, the former port area, for the construction and storage of their props and floats.
Report on the samba school warehouses' work affected by the financial crisis
The chosen name couldn't be more fitting: Cidade do Samba. This is the complex that houses all the artistic power that will, next year, beautify the spectacle of the Special Group's samba schools, such as Acadêmicos do Salgueiro, Beija-Flor de Nilópolis, Portela, Unidos de Vila Isabel, Estação Primeira de Mangueira, among many others.
Photo: Claus Meyer. Samba School Parade
Image description: This is a photograph of a carnival parade on Avenida Presidente Vargas. From left to right, we see colorful hanging decorations forming geometric and floral patterns. In the center, there is a raised platform with more vibrant decorations. The background is dark, further highlighting the illuminated elements. At the bottom, a crowd of people is gathered, occupying the entire space of the avenue.The tradition of allegorical floats comes from the so-called “grandes sociedades” (“great societies”), which were the high point of Rio de Janeiro’s street carnival from the 1850s to the 1950s. In these associations, the making of floats and allegories was done by artists from the community itself. In addition, they had their climax in a grand parade, as continued to happen with the samba schools.
Photo: Claus Meyer - Samba School Parade
Image description: This is a photograph of a samba school parade during Carnival. At the center, there is a figure covered by a black cape, holding a white banner with black lettering that reads "MESMO PROIBIDO OLHAI POR NOS!" ("EVEN FORBIDDEN, WATCH OVER US!"). Behind this figure, a crowd looks on at the event. On the left, two men dressed in white clothing and hats are dancing. On the right, another group of people is also taking part in the celebration, wearing white clothing and dancing. The background features a partly cloudy sky and some urban elements, such as signs and electrical structures.The Congresso das Sumidades Carnavalescas, in 1855, is considered the first, but examples of important societies were: Os Tenentes do Diabo, which emerged in 1855; the Democráticos Carnavalescos, from 1867, which to this day has a headquarters on Rua do Riachuelo; and the Clube dos Fenianos, created in 1869.
Photo: Claus Meyer - Samba School Parade
Image description: The image is a photograph of a carnival parade. On the left, we see a building with many people watching the event. In the center, there is a parade float with elaborate decoration, including figures and symbols. On the right, a crowd of people follows the parade. In the center of the image, there is a large handwritten sign in Portuguese. The text mentions "ATENÇÃO" and describes various social groups, such as beggars, the unemployed, and prophets, asking them to take part in a grand costume.Carnival "ranchos" were also a kind of precursor to today's samba schools - they emerged in the late 19th century as associations that organized processions during Carnival. They were considered small, in contrast to the large associations. Their parades were set to marches with a slower tempo than today's sambas. The most significant example is Ó Abre Alas, composed by Chiquinha Gonzaga. The king and queen were central figures in the ranchos, as was the banner, playing a similar role to that of the porta-bandeira in today's samba schools.
Photo: Claus Meyer - Samba School Parade
Image description: This is a photograph of a samba school parade on Avenida Presidente Vargas. In the lower part of the image, we see a large procession of dancers dressed in colorful costumes, mainly pink and white, forming a long row that stretches to the back of the image. On the left and right, there are crowds of spectators watching the event. At the top of the image, several decorative lanterns with geometric patterns hang. The lanterns are predominantly red, yellow, and gold. In the background, we see the dark sky, indicating that the photo was taken at night.The main Rio rancho was Ameno Resedá, based in Catete, which existed from 1907 to 1943 and called itself a "rancho-escola" (rancho school). In 1911, the first official rancho competition was organized, sponsored by Jornal do Brasil. The last official parade took place in the 1980s.
