In the year that the Marquês de Sapucaí celebrated its 40th anniversary, the samba school Viradouro had the best performance among the 12 samba schools of Rio de Janeiro’s Special Group. This was the school’s third title, with the last one being in 2020.
The winning samba-enredo of Viradouro paid homage to the vodun worship of the serpent, originating from the west coast of Africa. The school paraded on Monday (Feb 12), on the second day of the parades. Following Viradouro in the top five were Imperatriz Leopoldinense, Grande Rio, Salgueiro, Portela, and Vila Isabel. These schools will join Viradouro in the Champions Parade, scheduled for Saturday (17), at Marquês de Sapucaí.
In São Paulo, the samba school Mocidade Alegre is the winner of the 2024 carnival, repeating last year’s feat. Dragões da Real and Acadêmicos do Tatuapé took second and third places, respectively.
The theme conceived by the school for this year was written by the carnival designer Jorge Silveira and Leonardo Antan and suggests a revision of the concept of Brazilian identity.
“The year 2024 marks the centenary of the beginning of the historic journey that the poet Mário de Andrade made through deep Brazil, in search of composing the mosaic that forms our national cultural identity. Our parade aims to open the travel diary of the ‘Learning Tourist’ and follow the steps of his expedition with him. Together with Mário, we discover the richness of our art, our territory, and our people,” explained Silveira.
Mocidade Alegre returns to São Paulo’s sambódromo, Anhembi, this Saturday (17), for the Champions Parade.
Source: Agência Brasil