Rio de Janeiro, February 19. With a tribute to Arlindo Cruz, a historical samba composer with health problems since suffering a stroke in 2017, the group Imperio Serrano kicked off the famous “escolas” samba parades of the Rio Carnival Special Group this Sunday from Janeiro.
The group from the Madureira district, nine times Rio carnival champion and who returned this year to the special group (sort of first division), were the first to appear among the six “escolas” that will parade in Rio de Janeiro sambadrome between Sunday night and early Monday morning.
And he did it without having to face the storms expected this Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, which threatened parades and forced other cities to cancel their parties after the death of 24 people.
Six other “escolas” will parade on Monday evening and the juries will define on Wednesday, among the twelve, the champion of the 2023 edition of the Rio de Janeiro carnival and the two who will go down to the second division.
In an attempt to regain the title that has eluded him since 1982, Imperio Serrano has chosen to make his parade a grandiose tribute to Arlindo Cruz, the popular composer who was the author of the lyrics of the sambas he brought to the sambadrome in eleven different editions. of the carnival.
The parade entitled “Places of Arlindo” recreated the song “O meu lugar” along the 700 meters of the sambadrome, one of the greatest classics of the composer and which tells the simple life of the cariocas in the suburbs and favelas of Rio , where musicians congregate in backyards to cheer up neighbors.
The music also highlighted as one of Arlindo’s locations the seat of the Imperio Serrano, the “school” of the composer’s heart: “Receive our thanks, king of this land. Here is your place.”
A 50-METER FLOAT AND A 15-METER STATUE
In his tribute to the historical composer, Imperio Serrano brought to the sambadrome the largest allegorical floats in its history. Only the “open wings” tank, which opened the parade, was 50 meters long, divided into three bodies.
This tank carried nine gigantic crowns, symbol of the Serrano Empire, and eleven enormous articulated dragons which took over to attack an equally enormous Saint George.
Another chariot carried a 15-meter high sculpture of Xangô, the orixá (Afro-Brazilian deity) to whom Arlindo Cruz is entrusted, from whose back a waterfall fell.
“We wanted to excite the richness of the Arlindo Cruz universe, but also to make an impact on the public and to bring back the glory of the great carnivals, when we were always among the first”, explained Alex Souza, general manager of the parade. . .
The parades of the Special Group “escolas”, each with some 3,500 musicians, dancers and personalities, as well as gigantic floats, are the main attraction of the Rio Carnival and are considered the largest outdoor spectacle in the world. EFE
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