This is a long fought dream come through for allot of Brazilians and the samba troops themselves! Samba City will provide the locals and equipment to facilitate the Brazil Carnival in the Sambodrome in February / march in a better way, with lifting equipment for the spectacular carnaval floats and open rehearsal dance floors where the tourists can participate and learn some samba dance moves! Samba schools can even rehears together to bring carneval shows for tourists every week!

Anyway, this is what the government of Rio de Janeiro hopes for. A large motivation is the fact that tourists leave behind a fortune in dollars in the period from December to April. Now, the gouvernment hope that the income will increase through all year. However the way the gouvernment has gone about designing, shaping, planning Samba Cty has brought forth different views.

In assosiation with the ONS-festival in Stavanger Norway, I had the great pleasure of meeting the Samba School of Vila St. Isabel and Herval … responsible for the representation of Rio de Janeiro. Here follows some views from Herval and others in the Samba School of Vila Isabel:

Herval Baros, responsible for Vila st.Isabel in Stavanger

“What do you think about the ‘Cidade do Samba’, the Samba City attraction happening in Rio?”

This is a project of the Rio government to revitalize an area of Rio de Janeiro which is beginning to deteriorate, a portal area of Rio. But they didn’t consult with anyone (Samba schools), they didn’t ask anyone about the project, they didn’t cooperate with anyone about how to do the work, how to do organize things. Still they’re making an attempt, we don’t know much about Samba city yet and in September the school of Vila Sant Isabel will move out of it’s ‘baracao’ (it’s current building) and into it’s assigned space in Samba City. But there are doubts about the project. I hope with all my heart that it will be something, something good and that next time the government consult with us about planning. Because what’s the use of spending allot of money one something grand that doesn’t serve for anything?

Anderson, Primary singer of Vila Isabel

“How do you think it will be entering the samba school?”

It was marked for October, but I don’t think it will open until January, because of the work which haven’t been done yet.

A tips from Anderson to tourists:
You’ll find many bars along the avenida de 28.setembro in the bairro (suburb) of Vila Isbel, with pagode and other samba forms. A good tips is to visit the casa do bamba on saturdays in St. Vila Isabel when the samba school practise. More than ten thousand people gather and dance in the streets! A suggestion to get off the beaten tourist tracks!

Vanessa Samista, Samba dancer of Vila St.Isabel

“What do you think of the Samba City?”

I think it will be very “valido” valid?, there wont be anything better, it will be perfect because every school will enter there. We normally call other samba schools for “co-irma” ( fellow sister), now there will be more fellow sisters closer. Each school will be more dependant on the next school, which I think is great for the integration of all schools.

“It will be good for the area around there aswell?”

Very much better because before it was a area more or less dangerous, but now I think it’s very cool.

“Where is this area in Rio?”

The Samba City lies in the portoarea, port area,

“Is it easy to get there?”

Yes, easy access from all the zones in Rio.

Ruth, First flag carrier of Vila St.Isabel

“What do you know about Samba City?”

Samba city is a huge area prepared by the prefeitura of Rio de Janeiro to assemble all the samba schools of “group especial” the 14 best samba schools in Brazil. It’s like the first division in football. Samba city also has dance floors, balconyes and space for shows and such, things we don’t have where we are now. The “pasarella do Samba” where we are now is used / visited during carnival times. As what I know about samba city, we will have shows all year with admission for the public. The turists can enter and see / compare the work of each samba school. The fantasies / costumes will be made there and there will be many ateliers where you can see the work of professional composers / designers.

The unemployment in Rio is very big, Samba city will open many doors for new work and companies.

“What will happen to the old tents, old places you used for samba school?”

We still don’t know. But it will still be used for some activity related to the samba school of st. Vila Isabel, but it hasn’t been defined yet so we don’t know.

Only the 14 samba schools in the special group gets to stay in Samba city? What happens if “you end up I n15th place?”
No, this is what happens: The schools in the first places can choose the first places ( barracainhos) in Samba City. Since our school just made the special group we have to take what is left over. The samba school which comes in last place has to exit the special group and Samba city and give their place to the school which won the groupo de accesso. ( winner of second division). There will always be changes and schools changing places in samba city.

“This will lead to more competition between the schools?”

it will lead to a greater desire to fight and do well. It will givet the competicion a greater peak!

“will it lead to espionage? Will others be able to see what the other schools are doing?”

You can see to a certain limit! You can see what the samba schools let you see! Allot of things will still be hidden from the public. I’m not sure it’s really important as normally no one copies.

there.

Carvalho, one of the drummers of the battaria!

“Do you know about the Samba City which will happen in Rio de Janeiro this year ?”

What I know is this: Our prefeito of Rio de Janeiro has planned to do this for a long time, but since the project has allot of costs it has been delayed. In September this year if the project is finished, the schools in the top division or the special group will be transferred to samba city.

“when will the school open?”

Probably in the first week of September. St Vila Isabel is in the third guaipao ( guaopao means a reseved place, a big area where you can rehearse)

“How did you do in the last years carnival?”

We wanted to be in first place, we returned to the “special group” which is the elite division in the Rio carnival with the 14 best Samba schools. We are now apart of this group. We spent 4 years in the access group witch is a lower division, since 2000. We fought to rise into the special group. The access group is like the second division in football.

We’re not the best samba school in Rio, but we’re a big school and have always been respected because we’re one of the founders of the liga, now the investors will come and we’ll try to be one the best and biggest schools in rio de Janeiro.

“what do you think about the move to samba city?”

I think it will be good because it’s more space and closer to the place of disfile, where the carnival parade takes place. It’s easier to get investors there, easier access for people to go there.

Amado Merou, Lead director and responsible for the Vila Isabel Bateria (Drummers)

“What do you think about the change to Samba City which will come?”

Well, for the moment it gives allot of promices, but samba city isn’t finished yet. But when it finishes you can ask me and I will give you an answer. They still have to set up the buildings… Allot of things are missing still, so we cant say yet if its better or worse.

“What importance does the bateria have in a Samba school?”

It’s the most important because the heart of the school is the bateria. Without us you don’t samba, you don’t dance, you don’t sing. So the batteria is an important piece of the Samba school. There’s nothing more important in the samba school.

“How many people are in the battery of the st. Vila Isabel Samba School now?”

I train 280 batedores. I don’t even have a third of my batteria here. You can imagine me here with my 300 people making noise in Norway! That would be crazy!

To sum it up, everyone is excited about Samba City, but still no one knows how it will be once it finishes. For Rio de Janeiro and all the tourists, lets hope all the wishes of the gouvernment and the samba city comes through. When it opens still remains to see.

From different views back to Samba City main page