After celebrating the unprecedented title of the Special Group of Rio’s Carnival, Grande Rio returns to Marquês de Sapucaí as the main attraction of this Saturday’s Parade of Champions (30).
The Duque de Caxias school, in Baixada Fluminense, will also be accompanied by the best placed this year: Beija-Flor (runner-up), Viradouro (3rd place), Unidos de Vila Isabel (4th place), Portela (5th place) and Willow (6th place).
In this first weekend without the requirement of a passport for the vaccine against Covid-19 in Rio de Janeiro, the parade will be one of the hundred scheduled events, which had the obligation discarded.
The Independent League of Samba Schools (Liesa) reported that 93% of tickets had been sold by Friday night (29).
“Carnival was excellent, not only in terms of audience but also in terms of the quality of the show and organization. Schools did their homework. After four postponements, we managed to do it and it was a success”, said Perlingeiro.
Grande Rio takes the plot “Fala Majeté! Sete Chaves de Exu”, which presented the orixá Exu and his power of transformation, of opening paths, with the challenging profile that makes the world move.
Samba is inspired by lines from the documentary “Estamira”, by Marcos Prado, as well as phrases by writers Conceição Evaristo, Luiz Rufino and Luiz Antonio Simas.
In a Carnival marked by the emphasis on Afro culture, the runner-up school takes “Empretecer o Pensamento is to hear the voice of Beija-Flor”. The Nilópolis association represents the black intellectual contribution to the construction of Brazil.
A special tribute is paid to the composer Cabana, who helped to consolidate the school and also the carioca revelry itself.
With “There is no sadness that can bear so much joy”, Viradouro, the 2020 champion, sings “Carnival, I love you, in life you are everything to me”. The school in Niterói, in the metropolitan region, was inspired by the 1919 party, the first after the Spanish flu epidemic, to draw a parallel with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vila Isabel pays tribute to one of the greatest Brazilian sambistas and his own history with “Canta, canta, minha gente! The village belongs to Martin”. The school presents the various versions of Martinho da Vila, from the boy from the countryside to the popular genius he became.
Portela calls out “Igi osé baobá” to talk about the tree of life: the baobab. From the energy that emanates from nature to the resilience of the soil, the tree bears fruits that create Carnival. Thus, the firm trunk represents the strong connection with the heritage of black ancestors.
Closing the class on Brazilian culture in Sapucaí, Salgueiro has “Resistance” as its theme and shows the points of Rio de Janeiro that extol the black heritage, such as Little Africa, where enslaved people arrived in the country, to Praça XI, where the aunts used to live. and mothers saints who gave rise to the baianas of the samba schools. Bringing the plot to the present, the school also shows that being black in Rio today means resisting and fighting for respect.
The samba schools perform from 9:30 pm, from sixth to first place.
Source: CNN Brasil
