02/10/2024 – 19:27
From Adriano Imperador to Ibirapuera Park, the first dawn of parades of the São Paulo 2024 Carnival Special Group was, in large part, marked by tributes. Most schools also highlighted African ancestry, which highlighted the differences in investment between some associations.
The highlights were Dragões da Real, Acadêmicos do Tatuapé, Mancha Verde and Rosas de Ouro. Barroca Zona Sul, Independente and Camisa Verde e Branco also performed – the latter returning to the Special Group after 11 years.
The first day's parades began promptly at 11:15 pm on Friday, the 9th, and continued throughout the early hours of this Saturday, the 10th, in a vibrant Anhembi Sambadrome, in the north of the capital of São Paulo. Unlike last year, when Carnival was marked by heavy rain in the city, this time the weather remained mild throughout the night.
Green and White Shirt
“Axé, a Verde e Branco returned”: it was rocked by this verse, one of the highlights of the samba plot Adenla, the Emperor in the lands of the King, which Camisa Verde e Branco opened the night of parades. According to the association, the objective was to show that “boys and girls born in communities can achieve flights as far as they can dream”.
At the front of the last car of the traditional Barra Funda school, was a special guest: Adriano Imperador. A former player for the Brazilian national team and for teams such as Inter Milan, Flamengo and São Paulo, he was applauded when he played for Anhembi. At the end of the parade, the club's revelers lined up to take a photo with their idol.
According to the association's president, Erica Ferro, the idea was to represent Adriano receiving an Oxóssi crown at the end of the presentation. “I made a promise that, if Camisa returned to the elite group, we would talk about Oxóssi,” she said. She said it was difficult to contain her excitement after the parade. “I still can’t believe that Camisa is back. I'm in shock.”
Baroque South Zone
Packed with green and pink colors, Barroca Zona Sul paid homage to the association's fiftieth anniversary, with the samba theme We were born and raised among wobbly people. That's why we are the samba college. 50 years of Barroca Zona Sul. The school was founded on August 7, 1974.
The school's highlight was the tributes paid to Geraldo Sampaio Neto, “Borjão”, the historic former president of the association who died at the beginning of this year. “If the school is where it is, it was thanks to him”, said Ewerton Sampaio, “Cebolinha”, president of the association and son of Borjão.
He also stated that the school sought to portray the most historic carnivals in its history during the 50th anniversary parade, remembering parades that have covered everything from indigenous to oriental traditions. Another highlight of the Barroca Zona Sul parade was the participation of the drum queen, Juju Salimeni (ex-Pânico na TV).
Royal Dragons
The Dragões da Real school, whose samba theme was Africa, a constellation of kings and queens, was the group that presented some of the most imposing floats of the night. The school portrayed everything from baobabs to other elements of the continent's flora and fauna, as well as emblematic figures, such as Cleopatra.
The choice involved extensive research work, says one of the members of the association. “The school was eager to create an Afro story, and the board wanted to talk about an Africa that is little talked about,” said Rafael Villares, storyteller at Dragões da Real.
“We leave the allegories to talk about women, bringing the strength of the African matriarchy. So each of the cars brought the idea of the feminine,” he said. Some floats reached up to 15 meters in height, in a parade that included the hands of carnival artist Jorge Freitas, who has already become champion of the Special Group with schools such as Gaviões da Fiel, Rosas de Ouro and Mancha Verde.
Independent
The Independente samba school was yet another to address African ancestry, with a samba plot named after Agojie, the blade of freedom. The idea when approaching the tribe of female warriors, which has even been covered in a film produced by Viola Davis, was to shed light on female strength, according to representatives of the association.
“Black, always have your head held high / Be brave and fearless in your courage / Proud of this color”, says an excerpt from the song that rocked the school on the avenue. The school's drums stood out. The floats and costume finishes, however, did not attract as much attention as those from other schools that covered a similar theme.
Tatuapé Academics
Academicos do Tatuapé took Bahia to the avenue. The group's samba theme was Mata de São João – a jewel of Bahia, a symbol of preservation! Between songs and drums. Long live Mata de São João!, in honor of the municipality in Bahia known for the beaches of Forte and Imbassaí.
The rich details and aesthetics of the cars caught attention throughout the parade. Furthermore, the audience seemed to be in tune, singing excerpts from the samba theme at times.
“We do these 'blackouts' because, when you have the drums and the sound car inside (the sambadrome), they end up drowning out the school's mass of sound a little,” said Eduardo Santos, one of the school's representatives. “So, we purposely make these stops.”
Allegorical elements worked to allude to traditional clay works from Mata de São João and the transitions made between cars, interconnecting themes such as religiosity and the festival of São João. The arrival of the school was emotional: the gates closed after 65 minutes. and 14 seconds, less than a minute before the limit.
Green Spot
Mancha Verde opened daylight at the sambadrome this Saturday. Champion in 2022, when carnival resumed after the Covid-19 pandemic, the school's theme this year was From our soil to the world: the field that preserves, the field that produces, the field that feeds.
The opener, in the midst of this, made reference to the production of honey by bees. While other cars highlighted country life and growing food. Dynamic elements also caught attention, such as a sun rotating in the last car, as well as a very present drum set pulled by Viviane Araújo.
The option of taking short breaks for the audience to sing the samba a cappella was also widely used by the group. The Mancha Verde fans were one of the most present at the sambadrome, using flares at the beginning of the parade and hundreds of little flags distributed with the school's colors.
Golden Roses
One of the most traditional associations in São Paulo, Rosas de Ouro closed the first with a vibrant tribute to the 70th anniversary of Ibirapuera Park, in the south zone of São Paulo. The school was rocked by the samba theme Ibira 70 – Rosas de Ouro is São Paulo at Carnival 2024. “Born with flowers / Almost Privamera / Tree of Love / Meu Ibirapuera”, says an excerpt.
The parade, which ended shortly after 7am, was marked by very creative floats. Highlights include one in which 61 revelers cycled suspended between ironwork and another that portrayed the park's planetarium with a sculpture of singer Rita Lee at the top.
“We have a great desire to bring Rita Lee to the avenue, from end to end, with all the irreverence and history of our queen”, said the vice-president of the
association, Osmar Costa. While this doesn't happen, the school decided to portray the singer not only at the top of the planetarium, but also in the car that opened the parade.
“There's no way to talk about this place (Ibirapuera Park) that she used to go to since she was little and call it the 'enchanted forest' without talking about her. So much so that our opening came with an 'enchanted forest' and with our Rita Lee as a child”, added the vice-president.
The opening of the carnival at the sambadrome was attended by the acting governor of São Paulo, Felício Ramuth, and the mayor of the capital of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes. Between Saturday night and Sunday morning, the 11th, there will be the second round of parades, with groups such as Vai-Vai, back in the Special Group, and Gaviões da Fiel. In addition to Mocidade Alegre, current champion.
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