Brazil Samba Schools
Brazil Carnival 2008
The samba schools are associations of people from the same neighborhood, usually a working class community of the favelas and bring a sense of community and belonging. The have a rehearsal place and a separate production unit in Samba City. They get together on a regular basis for rehearsals and samba nights and are actually not teaching institutions as their name suggests. The origin of the name “samba school” comes from the fact, as legend suggests, that the early sambistas used to rehearse in an empty lot near a teachers’ college. “We also teach! Here the students learn to breathe and live samba!”
The schools have a huge impact on their neighborhoods, being the best organized entities in the favelas, with thousands of people joining the rehearsals and carnival preparations. They are often politically involved, too.
There are some great places to see in Europe and staying in
