If there’s one experience that I will cherish forever, it’s parading through the iconic Sambódromo. From building out theater sets in high school, to actually rehearsing and parading for a samba school 🤩 what a journey!
Behind the scenes
If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for the BTS of large events. The show itself is spectacular, but knowing all the effort that went into it makes it all the more special. How many hands have built these floats? Have sewn these costumes?
When you’re actually a part of the action, you develop a new-found appreciation for the art behind it. It’s a great feeling to be apart of something beautiful.
You’ll see samba schools preparing their floats and dancers, each one telling their story through costume, choreography, and song. I remember wandering through the backstage area, admiring the attention to detail and hard work that must have gone into each set. I loved watching performers practicing their routines and fixing up their costumes.
Moment of truth
Around 3AM, the fireworks go off, kicking off our school’s turn to parade. The lights were so bright I could barely see the onlookers, but make no mistake–you definitely hear them!
The whole thing was done in about 85 minutes. Months of planning, rehearsing, and effort for a little over an hour and a half of parading. An hour and a half to showcase all the effort. It was an enthralling experience to dance with the rhythm of the bateria. People from all walks of life coming together to celebrate and dance as if no one is watching–even though thousands of eyes were on us. We surely put our best foot forward to represent the school!
Reflections
Once you finish parading you feel so tired, but so fulfilled! The Sambódromo is more than just a venue; it’s a celebration of life, culture, and the vibrant spirit of Rio. Leaving the Sambódromo, you’ll see all the feathers and costumes being collected to recycle for future parades—a testament to future stories being told, the continuation of artistic expression.
You can’t help but feel proud of this accomplishment, we all came together to bring this school’s story to life!
