Rio Carnival Moving to the Music of Samba
What you may not know about Rio Carnival in Brazil is that almost all the music played over the four-day festival is samba, a uniquely Brazilian rhythm and dance form originating in Rio de Janeiro.
The word samba derives its meaning from the Angolan word, ‘semba’ which refers to a type of ritualistic music. Semba had a variety of meanings when it was introduced to Brazil by African trade workers in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and was summarily equated to ‘the blues’ of the Delta region in Mississippi.
Since then the rhythmic music has found its way into the culture of the world’s most extravagant dance pageant and is now synonymous with the festival that is Rio Carnival in Brazil – truly a once in a lifetime event that occurs every year!
In 2014, for the first time since it’s inauguration, five Rio Carnival parades were organised and broadcasted live from the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro. If you’ve ever wondered about what exactly goes on behind the scenes, we invite you to view the short video above as the Tks Império da Tijuca Samba School rehearses.
The anticipation is high and it seems that the parades for Rio Carnival were well underway when this was filmed. As always, the pageantry and splendour of the festival will be on full display returning next year in a colourful blaze of glory and feathers!
