Mulher Pêra. the singer Suéllem Rocha, featured on the float with body paint and the 'smallest carnival fantasy' ever made - photo: Flavio Moraes/G1
As last of the carnival parades the closing of the second day with the ultimate four samba schools. We will see: Águia de Ouro, Unidos de Vila Maria, Gaviões da Fiel and Tom Maior, which is the last school to enter the Sambódromo in São Paulo. After these festivities we have to go to Rio de Janeiro, where the carnival parades start Sunday night.
Águia de Ouro
Since 1976 the inhabitants of Pompeii, a district in western São Paulo, dream to win the first title of the Special Group with the samba school of the community, Águia de Ouro. For 2012 the samba school invited artists to join the school to try to conquer the first place with a parade about music and history.
Carnival revellers visualise 'prisoner' artists repressed during the dictatorship - photo: Raul Zito/G1
“Tropicália da paz e do Amor! O movimento que não acabou” (Tropicália of Peace and Love! The movement is not over) is the name of the plot that resembles the musical and aesthetic movement occurring in the 60s that marked the Brazilian culture.
A member lost her voice singing the samba-plot of Águia de Ouro - photo: Flavio Moraes/G1
The famous festivals of Brazilian popular music were remembered in the third car. At the top of the allegory Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and other artists that defined that period, were present. “This event [the parade of Águia de Ouro] is very important because Tropicália is São Paulo”, he said, referring to the plot of the samba school. Nevertheless, when asked which Carnival he prefers, the musician was adamant: “The best carnival is in Bahia”.
Valesca Popozuda, Queen of the drums of Águia de Ouro, felt sick during the parade but returned to samba in Anhembi - photo: Flavio Morais/G1
Queen of Águia de Ouro, Valesca Popozuda poses for a photo with members of the samba school while waiting for the parade to start - photo: Flavio Morais/G1
Muse of Águia de Ouro - photo: Flavio Morais/G1
Muses of Águia de Ouro pose for photos before the parade starts - photo: Flavio Morais/G1
Mulher Pêra was one of the highlights of the parade - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Dancer of Águia de Ouro sings the samba-enrede of the samba school. The plot tells the story of tropicalismo - photo: Flavio Morais / G1
Unidos de Vila Maria
Unidos de Vila Maria bet on the power and strength of handcraft in its attempt to get its first title in the Special Carnival in São Paulo. Fifth school which went through the Sambódromo in Anhembi during the Monday night parades, the samba school from the northern part of São Paulo took fire and light to the avenue and spoke of the infinite power of creation in human history.
Decorated float Unidos de Vila Maria brought sculptures and gargoyles - photo: Flavio Moraes/G1
The plot of “A Força infinita da criação. Vila Maria feita à mão” (The Power of infinite creation. Vila Maria is handmade) is a tour of the creation of the world, the history of Carnival, the evolution of humanity and reaches even into the age of Internet and new technologies.
The beautiful form of Priscilla Bonifácio, Queen of the drums, drew attention in the parade of Unidos de Vila Maria - photo: Raul Zito/G1
The school brought fire to the avenue already in the Front Committee, choreographed by Sergio Cardoso, when masked members created light in Anhembi to represent the moment when God created man.
The opening float, “O sopro do Criador” (The breath of the Creator), showed also the birth of the universe in an allegory of 42 meters in length coated with fabric with shades of blue created especially for the parade.
The actress Quitéria Chagas, godmother of the drums, and Priscilla Bonifácio, Queen of the drums, danced in the parade of Unidos de Vila Maria - photo: Raul Zito/G1
The second car of the samba school visualised the “Aurora dos Tempos” (Dawn of Time), with hands raised to heaven to ask for protection.
Priscilla Bonifácio, Queen of the drums of Unidos de Vila Maria, lost her voice - photo: Raul Zito/G1
The standard-bearer raised the banner of the school during the parade of Unidos de Vila Maria - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Members of Unidos de Vila Maria paraded during the second night of the carnival in São Paulo - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Dancers singing the samba-enrede of Unidos de Vila Maria. Members of the samba school paraded in the second night of carnival in São Paulo
The drums marked the beat of the samba-enrede of Unidos de Vila Maria, which recalled the changes in humanity offered by hands that touch the war, but also take part in building a new world - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Muse of Unidos de Vila Maria invited the public to join in the singing - photo: Raul Zito/G1
The allegoric fantasy of the actress Quitéria Chagas, godmother of the Unidos de Vila Maria, represents an African goddess - photo: Raul Zito/G1
The allegoric fantasy of the actress Quitéria Chagas, godmother of the Unidos de Vila Maria, represents an African goddess - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Muse of Vila Maria is the attraction in the avenue. Plot has the theme 'A Força infinita da criação. Vila Maria feita à mão' (The Power of infinite creation. Vila Maria is made by hand) - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Gaviões da Fiel
Corinthian football fan and ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva could not come to the party, but Gaviões da Fiel didn’t let it be shaken by the absence of the honoured guest and thrilled the public in Anhembi. To parade on Friday, the second day of the carnival in São Paulo in 2012, the school has made the life of Lula reason for a quick tour through the history and democracy of the country.
Muse parades with Gaviões da Fiel, the penultimate samba school which performed on the second day of Carnival in São Paulo - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Lula viewed the parade on television in his apartment in São Bernardo do Campo, in ABC paulista. At the end of the parade, the former president called his wife Marisa Leticia, who paraded with the school, and said he was thrilled.
Members of Gaviões da Fiel sing the samba-enrede, which honoured former President Lula - photo: Flavio Moraes / G1
From the first to the last of the five segments, Gaviões da Fiel walked through Lula’s impoverished childhood in Garanhuns, in the interior of the state of Pernambuco. It also dealt with the past as a migrant in São Paulo, the trade union engagement and the successful campaign for the presidency in 2002.
First couple of master of ceremonies and standard-bearer Bozó and Gisleine - photo: Flavio Moraes / G1
Opening float brought the school symbol, the Eagle. The samba school Gaviões da Fiel brought five allegoric floats to Anhembi - photo: Flavio Moraes / G1
The queen of the drums of Gaviões da Fiel, Tatiane Minerato during the school parade, which honoured Lula - photo: Flavio Moraes/G1
Ana Paula Minerato is one of the muses of the drums of battery Gaviões da Fiel - photo: Raul Zito / G1
Sabrina Sato parades as the godmother of the drums of battery of Gaviões da Fiel - photo: Flavio Moraes/G1
Muse of the drums of Gaviões da Fiel waits for the beginning of the parade - photo: Raul Zito / G1
Sabrina Sato, godmother of the drums of Gaviões da Fiel arrived in Anhembi to parade with samba school Gaviões da Fiel - photo: Raul Zito / G1
Adriana Bernardes, who featured in the third car of Gaviões da Fiel, waiting for the beginning of the parade - photo: Bruno Azevedo / G1
Tom Maior
The seventh and last samba school to parade, Tom Maior closed the second night of carnival in the Sambódromo in Anhembi bringing to the avenue archangels and cherubim to ask for peace and honour Marko Antônio Silva, who led the samba school as president for 27 years and died in 2011 as a result of leukaemia. It was Sunday morning (19 Febr) in São Paulo when the school closed quietly its passage through Anhembi.
Samba dancer of Tom Maior danced the samba-enrede of the school. The guild brought archangels, cherubim and personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa to the Sambódromo - photo: photo: Raul Zito / G1
A prayer in memory of the former president opened the parade, bringing tears to many of the members of Tom Maior. “O Marko em nossa história” (Marko in our history), chanted the float-pusher René Sobral before the battle cry that brought the samba school.
Jairo Pereira e Simone Gomes were the first couple of master of ceremonies and standard-bearer - photo: Raul Zito / G1
“Every show is special, but this year is for our eternal president”, said an emotional TV-presenter Tania Oliveira, who debuted as the godmother of the drums. The group was led by 280 percussionists, commanded by Master Carlão, who began drumming when eight years old and is also a stock car racer. The wife of the Master Carlão, Andreia Alves, is the queen of the battery. She is with the samba school already for 13 years.
The dance group of baianas had 100 members. All are older than 60 years - photo: Rafael Sampaio / G1
The school’s name was inspired by a song of Martinho da Vila. The current president of the club is Luciana Silva, sister of Marko Antônio.
Tânia Oliveira, godmother of the drums of Tom Maior - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Highlighting the allegoric float of Tom Maior - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Couple of master of ceremonies and standard-bearer of Tom Maior - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Muse of Tom Maior waits for the start of the parade. The school is the last to enter the Sambódromo in Anhembi this year, with a plot that brings a message of hope: “Paz na Terra e aos homens de Boa Vontade” (Peace on Earth and Goodwill to men) - photo: Flavio Moraes/G1
Decorated float of Tom Maior entered Anhembi. The samba school brought the devastation of the environment and white collar crimes - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Muse of Tom Major shakes it during the presentation in Anhembi - photo: Raul Zito/G1
Dancer of Tom Maior during Sunday's parade in the Sambódromo in Anhembi - photo: Rafael Sampaio/G1
Couple of standard-bearer and master of ceremonies of Tom Maior - photo: Flavio Moraes/G1
End of São Paulo. Next stop Rio de Janeiro where the carnival parades started Saturday evening.
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