Vol. 1: Rio Carnival

Starting with Brazil, the home of Samba, I will relay the feverish excitement that fills the Samba Carnival venue, the sambadrome, and energizes us all.

Nobuyoshi Fujihira / Marubeni Brasil S.A Rio de Janeiro Branch

Carnival is about to begin!
Boom! Boom! Bang! Bang! As huge fireworks suddenly go off right before your eyes, you hear the thunderous cheers of nearly sixty thousand spectators in the sambadrome (carnival venue). The fireworks signal all the Samba teams to begin parading and the enredos (theme songs of the samba teams) begin, adding to the clamor. Of course the songs and musical accompaniment are performed live. The power of the 250-300 member rhythm sections known as baterias is one of the main attractions of Carnival.

The yells rise up here and there among the contestants in the desfile (parade) line : We are here! It is finally our turn! Their heartbeats race and they are indescribably anxious and expectant as, one after another, they approach the entrance to the brilliantly lit sambadrome, where they will soon entertain the huge crowds of spectators that await them.

The sambadrome reaches temperatures of over 30 degrees in midsummer
With so many contestants participating — over 4,000 members on a single team — they actually participate in the procession for about half of the total parade time, or for about 40 minutes. But as contestants need to put on their costumes and arrive two hours early at the sambadrome in Rio, which reaches temperatures of over 30 degrees in midsummer, contestants need considerable stamina and proper hydration in advance in order to dance. Once contestants have joined the parade, they are rigorously judged and not allowed to have any drinks at all. They are expected to concentrate solely on giving their very best performance in the parade, singing the theme song and dancing with focus as well as passion.

Each samba team assigns harmonia or “stewards of the flow” who ensure that the flow of the parade is maintained and that the procession is never disrupted. The harmonia are extremely vigilant to prevent any loss of points and ensure the best team performance, so they stridently scold any member who is giving a halfhearted performance.

Dancing and singing together with spectators
Everyone is a star on the stage during the parade in the sambadrome. Singing the theme song and dancing, harmonizing with spectators, the entire sambadrome becomes positively united. Proceeding around the grounds, a scene filled with enthusiastic spectators jumps out at you, everyone dancing together, smiling and having a great time.

And when you count the people all over Rio watching the parade on TV (actually, they not only watch, but also dance and sing in front of the TV), it is hard to imagine just how many people are actually participating in this grand festival. And just as with soccer teams, everyone has their own favorite samba teams that they root for.

Surely everyone who participates in Carnival thinks of many different things. But as one of the participants playing a leading role on stage, considering how our performances in the parade moved and excited huge crowds of spectators, I got goose bumps again and again, even as I sang and danced. This is undoubtedly a feeling that you can only get from participating in the Rio Carnival.

The structure of the Rio Carnival
Carnival is a contest where escolas de samba (samba teams) compete to earn distinction and ranking. In Rio the Grupo Especial (Special Group) is the pinnacle of samba teams, comprising 12 teams who introduce their compilations for the year over a period of two days (six teams per day) from night to morning. Each team is made up of over 4000 members with seven or eight alegorias (floats) which proceed 750 meters in eighty minutes in the sambadrome (carnival venue) while they are ranked by the carnival judges. A high ranking earns distinction, of course, and the subsidies that are awarded provide each team with significant financial incentive as well. Unfortunately the team that receives the lowest ranking in the Grupo Especial is moved to the top ranking in the next lower group.

The Mangeira team, which Mr. Fujihira joined, has a long history and enjoys great popularity. The parade of the winning team, Saugeiro. The criteria for judging samba teams include the beauty of the alegorias (floats) and fantasia (costumes), of course, but they also include aspects including the choreography of the Ala group, who all wear the same costumes, as well as the theme songs that each team creates every year and their performing techniques.