Rio Carnival Results 2011 Grupo D

1.   Império Da Praça Seca 299.6

2.  Mocidade Unida De Jacarepaguá 299.4

3.  Acadêmicos Do Dendê 299.1

4.  Unidos De Manguinhos 298.7

5.    Acadêmicos De Vigário Geral 298.5

6.   Leão De Nova Iguaçu 288.2

7.   Unidos De Cosmos 296.1

8.  Unidos Do Anil 296.0

9.  Gato De Bonsucesso 293.7

10. Delírio Da Zona Oeste 293.5

11. Imperial De Nova Iguaçu 292.5

12. Mocidade Independente De Inhaúma 292.5

13. Mocidade Unida Do Santa Marta  288.6

Praca seca is promoted to grupo C

Zona Ouest, Nova Iguacu, Inhauma and Santa Marta are demoted to Grupo E

Rio Carnival Results 2011 Grupo C

1.   Unidos Da Vila Santa Tereza 299.1  Points

2.   Favo De Acari 299.1Points

3.   Arrastão De Cascadura 299.0 Points

4.   Rosa De Ouro 298.9 Points

5.   Em Cima Da Hora 298.9 Points

6.   Unidos Do Jacarezinho 298.2 Points

7.   Unidos Do Cabuçu 297.8 Points

8.   Boi Da Ilha Do Governador 297.6 Points

9.   Unidos Da Villa Rica 296.7 Points

10. Unidos De Vila Kennedy 296.5 Points

11. Unidos Da Ponte 296.0 Points

12. Acadêmicos Da Abolição 295.1 Points

13. Acadêmicos Do Engenho Da Rainha 295.1 Points

14. Corações Unidos Do Amarelinho 293.3 Points

15. Flor Da Mina Do Andaraí 291.7 Points

16. Vizinha Faladeira 290.6 Points

Santa Teresa is promoted to Grupo B

The 4 lowest schools, Engenho da Rainha, Unidos da Amarelinho, Flor da Mina and Vizinha Faladeira are demoted to Grupoi D

Rio carnival results 2011 Grupo B

1 - Paraíso Do Tuiuti   299.4 points

2 - União Do Parque Curicica  298.2 points

3 - Unidos De Padre Miguel 298.1 points

4 - Arranco 298 points

5-- Sereno De Campo Grande 297.8 points

6 - União De Jacarepaguá 297.6 points

7 - Tradição 296.7 points

8-   Difícil É O Nome 295.9 points

9 -  Mocidade De Vicente De Carvalho 295.1 points

10 - Acadêmicos Do Sossego 294.9 points

11 - Uniao De São João De Meriti 294.7 points

12 -  Lins Imperial 292.9 points

Tuiuiti is promoted to the Grupo de Acesso (grupo A)

Sossego,Sao Joao and Lins Imperial are demoted to Grupo C

Rio Carnival Results Grupo Acesso) A 2011

1.   Renascer de Jacarepagua
2.   Viradouro
3.   Estacio de Sa
4.   Cubango
5.   Santa Cruz
6.   Imperio Serrano
7.   Imperio da Tijuca
8.   Innocentes de Belford Roxo
9    Rocinha
10. Caprichosos
11. Alegria da Zona Sul

Renascer will be promoted to Grupo Especial (for the first time) Caprichosos and Alegria de Zona Sul are being demoted to Grupo B

Rio Carnival Results Grupo Especial 2011

1.   Beija Flor           
2.   Unidos da Tijuca 
3.   Mangueira
4.   Vila Isabel
5.  Salgueiro
6.  Imperatriz
7.  Mocidade Independente
8.  Porto da Pedra
9   Sao Clemente

Not given marks -
Portela
Grande Rio
Uniao da Ilha

No school will be demoted

Gay Robocop bateria

The samba school Inocentes de Belford Roxo is putting all of their drummers into a Gay Robocop costume for their parade in the sambodromo on the Satruday of Rio carnival 2011.

The bateria is the most masculine of alas, and it has taken some persuading to get some of  the 250 members to agree to wear this. There's a great article about this in the newspaper O Globo. Here's a summary in English.

The carnavelesco, Cristiano Bara, tells us that at first there was considerable resistance. Drummers complaints included 'How can I possibly return up the hill in the favela after the parade dressed as a Gay Robocop?' The hardest group of drummers to talk around  was the cuica players, who parade right at the front of the bateria, and tend to be a bit older on average than the other drummers.

The carnavalesco has prepared some special choreography for the bateria members which seems to have helped. We won't know what this is until the the day; its being kept secret. It will involve the queen of the bateria, Isabella Picanco

Christiano explains that he hadn't originally intended for the Gay Robocop costume to be for the bateria. But in the expression of the theme through the parade, this was the ala that needed to wear it. The theme is about the famous Brazilian band Mamonas Assassinas, and the costume refers to one of their best known tracks.

But given time to get used to the idea, and some diplomacy, the members of the bateria have come around. Recently the mestre de bateria, Washington Paz (who will be dressed all in pink) has had drummers from other samba schools approaching him asking if there's any space in the bateria. If I get any pictures or video I'll post them here.

Innocentes will be the sixth samba school to parade in Rio's Grupo de Acesso on Saturday 5th March 2011.

Update: I saw this bateria on TV. Frankly I would never have guessed they were supposed to be gay robocops. They looked vaguely like spacemen. But the bateria directors did look good, in bright pink.

Rio's mayor Parades in three baterias.

The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, paraded in the baterias of three samba schools in Rio Carnival 2011. He played to the three schools affected by the big fire in the City of Samba, Grande Rio, Uniao da Ilha and Portela. These schools have been made exempt from the competition this year. He explained that this way he couldn't prejudice anyone's marks, I saw him on Agogo in Portela and chocalho in Grande Rio and Ilha. He is not new to samba school parades; as a fan of Portela he has paraded in the sambadrome already, but I don't know if it was in the bateria.

The program Bom Dia Brasil, fromm TV globo, is showing a mini series about the baterias of the 12 samba schools of Rio carnival's grupo especial. These will be shown daily from Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th March, and promise to contain special presentations featuring each bateria's breaks and musical designs. Those with no access to Globo TV may be able to catch these programs on the Bom Dia Brasil website, at http://g1.globo.com/bom-dia-brasil/

3 weeks after the fire - Grande Rio  

The Rio Samba schools Grande Rio, Uniao da Ilha and Portela have had just three weeks to rebuild their carnivals. The huge fire in the City of Samba, Rio de Janeiro, destroyed their carnival preparations on 7th Feb, a month before Rio carnival. A detailed report has been shown on the TV program 'Fantastico', showing how Grande Rio has been working to recover in time for Carnival, with just a few days to go.

The Grande Rio carnavalesco Cahê Rodrigues says that the school was 98% ready for carnival before the fire. But on 7th February, 28 days before carnival, everything was totally destroyed. Uniao da Ilha lost all of their costumes but managed to save some of the floats, in need of repair but not of a total rebuild.

9th February - Grande Rio and Uniao da Ilha had moved into space in an empty warehouse in the City of Samba. Grande Rio had lost all of their floats and equipment, and they started looking to borrow spare float frames, tools and machines. Both carnavalescos have had to completely redesign their carnival parades into something that might be achievable with the limited time and resources available.

Friday 10th of February - lorry loads of donated materials are arriving for Grande Rio, but there is still a huge amount missing. Cahe is trawling the carnival shops in Rio, seeing what material is still available, trying to work how to make it work on the new floats and costumes. On the same day Uniao da Ilha's surviving floats move into a space prepared for them in the middle of the Cidade do Samba, for Grande Rio to have some space to start all their floats again from scratch.

Sat 11th Feb -  The new barracao is full of volunteer workers. The search for materials continues. Other samba schools have donated the basic metal framework for several floats. It begins to seem possible for Grande Rio to put on a real carnival parade.

Tuesday 15th Feb  - Work starts on the sculptures for the floats. First for Grande Rio is the witch on the opening float, which was to stand around nine meters high. The original witch had been scowling.  The new one is smiling - no point in crying at this point, and Carnival is happiness. The floats start to rise. Cahe wants to recreate eight  floats, in 3 weeks! Some will be smaller versions of the lost originals. The fourth float was an enormous bull; it will still be a bull, but smaller.

Friday 17th Feb (18 days before the parade) - The metal substructures of the floats continue to be built up. The form of the witches cauldron is completed in wood. A tower is installed to carry the sculpture of the witch. Alas are redesigned. One ala had 100 revellers dressed as different fishes, now they will have fish hats, with robes and clothing to represent the water.

Sunday  20th Feb (12 days before the parade) - the float of the bull already has its head. The cauldron is being decorated. Grande Rio is off to its final technical rehearsal in the sambodromo. Many of the people who have been working flat out on the rebuild will be in this rehearsal. It should be very emotional.

Tuesday 15th February - The opening float now has a motor. Many of the replacement costumes are already made.

Friday 25th Feb  - The float of the Hercilo Luz bridge is almost complete and has had its neon lights installed. The witch on the opening float has gained her hat. "in less than a month we have reconstucted a carnival that seemed to be lost. "Grande Rio won't be given points this year, but I think it deserves ten out of ten for effort" says Cahe Rodrigues.

Sympatia e quasi Amor, one of Rio's moost famous blocos, is being transmitted live online by globo, right now..

Follow this link http://g1.globo.com/videos/carnaval/v/transmissao-ao-vivo-g1/606348/