Every year each of Rio de Janeiro ‘s hundreds of Samba schools announce their carnival theme, or enredo which it is known in Portuguese, as an on going story sieving through every part of a samba school performance. The theme can be a story of famous persons, important events, political, and so on. The lyrics in the songs, the Samba costume design, the intense samba enredo dance, the samba in file sharing, drums and samba music, the carnival make up, shoe carnival and the fabulous floats and carnaval decorations, all contribute to the Samba City atmosphere and follow the enredo picked!!
The “enredo” has been subject to political pressure and even led to disqualification of a samba school during the military gouvernment of Vargas in 1939.
Below are shown some respective Samba schools with their theme (enredo) and matching carnival decorations and Samba costume design.
Worth noticing is Unidos da Tijuca focusing on science and development, while Salgueiro has alcohol as the futures combustion (even with a gocart doing circles on one of the lofts), while Mangueira is about the goldrush ( the golden times of Brazil with discoveries of many goldmines and the gold transport routes).
| UNIDOS DA TIJUCA 2004 Enredo (theme): "O SONHO DA CRIAÇÃO E A CRIAÇÃO DO SONHO: A ARTE DA CIÊNCIA NO TEMPO DO IMPOSSÍVEL" English: “ The dream of creation is the creation of the dream: The Art of Sience in the time of impossibility” | SALGUEIRO 2004 Enredo (theme): "A CANA QUE AQUI SE PLANTA TUDO DÁ, ATÉ ENERGIA... ÁLCOOL, O COMBUSTÍVEL DO FUTURO" English: “ The cane I here by plant will give it all, even energy… Alcohol, combustion of the future” | MANGUEIRA 2004 Enredo (theme): "MANGUEIRA REDESCOBRE A ESTRADA REAL...E DESTE ELDORADO FAZ SEU CARNAVAL" English: “ Mangeira rediscover the royalty way…And this Eldorado makes its Carnival” |
The faith of the Fantasy fest dance costumes
The samba schools have important positions in the neighbourhoods with whole city parts joining in to help their samba troops. The preparations begin early every year making samba dance costumes and all the carnaval equipment.
Important factors in making a good Samba costume design are texture of the material and shape of the costume. In addition to look good and create a fantasy fest atmosphere, the carnival cloths must give the dancers the freedom they need to perform their samba dancing steps. Both fantasy fest costumes and the samba enredo give points for the total evaluation of the samba school.
And after the carnival glory what happens to the samba dance costumes, with their feathers, fabric, carnival shoes and so on ?
“Carnival is farewell to the flesh. The costumes go the way of the flesh!” says former queen of Carnival Allison Brown.
So the Samba costume design of yesterdays carnival is forgotten to be replaced by tomorrows new and exciting carneval happening!
African influence on brazil Samba costume design
Many similarities can be seen between Brazilian carnival traditions and African dance, music and costume history. Feathers were frequently used by Africans in their motherland on masks as a symbol of our ability as humans to rise above problems, pains, heartbreaks, illness, to travel to other worlds to be reborn and to grow spiritually. Feathers are often used in today’s Brazil Carnival dance costumes.
The African heritage to put natural objects (bones, grasses, beads, shells and so on) to make masks or costumes and have the gift of spiritual force can also be seen in the Brazilian Samba costume design during Carnival!
Carnival make up is another aspect which can be traced back to African traditions of using paint to make facial masks. Today’s carnivals are filled with dancers only in colourful body paint and spellbinding carnival make up!!
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