What are samba schools?

The Samba schools (Escolas de samba in  portuquese) are samba clubs that started in the early half of the 20th century in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. In case you are getting completely mixed up: Samba Schools are not teaching institutions. A Samba School is basically an association of people from the same neighborhood, usually a working class community (or favela) in most cases located in a suburban area. They get together on a regular basis for samba nights and rehearsals (ensaios) at their samba court (quadra).

Each year samba schools choose a different theme and may take to the Parade anything from 3,000 to 5,000 members, and from 6 to 8 floats. They try to illustrate the theme chosen. All costumes and floats are original, made from scratch every year. Think of it as a tropical opera, or rather, a collection of several operas happening on a single night.

A Samba School has from 60 to 75 minutes to make it through the runway. This means that each member will actually spend in the Sambodrome only about 25-30 minutes tops. The experience is so intense, though, that the memories last a lifetime .