Sensual, liberated and irrepressible: When it comes to Carnival, Brazil Remains the World’s Superpower.

[su_note note_color=”#ecf3f5″ text_color=”#011115″ radius=”6″]A samba school (Portuguese: Escola de samba) is a dancing, marching, and drumming (Samba Enredo) club. They practice and often perform in a huge square-compounds (“quadras de samba”) and are devoted to practicing and exhibiting samba, an African-Brazilian dance and drumming style. Although the word “school” is in the name, samba schools do not offer instruction.[1] Samba schools have a strong community basis and are traditionally associated with a particular neighborhood. They are often seen to affirm the cultural validity of the Afro-Brazilian heritage in contrast to the mainstream education system,[2] and have evolved often in contrast to authoritarian development.[3] The phrase “escola de samba” is popularly held to derive from the schoolyard location of the first group’s early rehearsals.[2] In Rio de Janeiro especially, they are mostly associated with poor neighborhoods (“favelas”). [/su_note]

Though mired in poverty, their street productions are ambitious, luxurious, well planned and impeccably executed. A triumph of collective will. The artistic visions spellbinding and inspiring. It’s grand escapism alright, but a lot less malignant in content than the fare manufactured by Hollywood.