Creating the Parade
Discover the research and creative process that transform a theme into costumes, floats, and imagery for the Avenue.
Samba school parades underwent major transformations throughout the 20th century. From the earliest decades, their power lay in samba, dance, community participation, and taking over the streets. At the same time, artists rooted in the groups themselves were already researching ways to translate history, territory, and popular experiences through costumes, sculptures, backdrops, and floats.
One of the pioneers of this visual creation was Miguel Moura, a Black painter, sculptor, and set designer trained at the Bernardelli Art School. Connected to samba and Carnival since the 1930s, he was one of the founders of Depois Eu Digo, a school from Morro do Salgueiro that played a role in forming today's Acadêmicos do Salgueiro. He also worked with groups like Vila Isabel, Unidos da Tijuca, and Salgueiro, as well as ranchos and grandes sociedades.
In 1935, Miguel Moura was responsible for the visual creation of Depois Eu Digo's parade “Uma manhã no Salgueiro, no berço do samba”. An illuminated backdrop featured Morro do Salgueiro and its houses. Wings represented women carrying water, clothes, and firewood, while samba musicians played their instruments. A large cradle symbolized the birth of samba. Costumes, floats, characters, and landscapes were already helping build a narrative about community life.
Miguel called his art “simple truth”. His paintings and Carnival creations depicted daily Black life in favelas, suburbs, dance halls, terreiros, and samba circles. His journey demonstrates that the visual language of samba schools was also born within the communities, driven by the work of Black artists who intimately knew the territories and experiences represented on the avenue.
This transformation took on a new dimension at Salgueiro in 1959, with Dirceu Nery and Marie Louise Nery. The fine artist duo created the parade “Viagem Pitoresca e Histórica ao Brasil”, inspired by the work of Jean-Baptiste Debret. The presentation marked school history through the elaborate detail of its costumes, floats, and imagery that guided the audience through the theme.
In the early 1960s, Fernando Pamplona and Arlindo Rodrigues deepened this process at Salgueiro. Pamplona, a professor at the National School of Fine Arts, emphasized themes linked to popular Brazilian culture, Black history, and figures kept away from official narratives. Arlindo brought his expertise in set design and theatrical costuming, helping shape the visual narrative of the parade.
As competitions grew and rivalries intensified, the theme increasingly guided each school's presentation. Costumes, floats, samba-enredo, choreography, and parade sections began to be planned as a cohesive whole. In this process, the role of the carnival designer became firmly established, responsible for researching the theme, structuring the story, directing visual creation, and ensuring the artistic unity of the parade.
Other creators expanded this language over the following decades. Maria Augusta Rodrigues helped mentor a generation of artists focused on bridging research, fine arts, and Carnival. Rosa Magalhães became renowned for her historical rigor, visual polish, and intricate themes. Lícia Lacerda joined this legacy, contributing to parades defined by narrative elegance and theatrical intelligence.
Joãosinho Trinta took the monumentality and visual impact of the parades to another scale, especially during his time with Beija-Flor. In 1989, with “Ratos e Urubus, Larguem Minha Fantasia”, he created one of the most iconic images in Carnival history: the Beggar Christ. Covered by court order and accompanied by the phrase “Mesmo proibido, olhai por nós!”, the sculpture became a symbol of social critique, cultural resistance, and artistic freedom.
Sketches, synopses, prototypes, and Abre-Alas guidebooks reveal key parts of this creative journey. The synopsis outlines the parade theme's narrative. Sketches illustrate costume and float designs. Prototypes test shapes, volumes, materials, and finishes. The Abre-Alas guidebook compiles technical, historical, and artistic info that directs the performance and helps judges understand the parade.
Looking at these materials, one sees that a samba school is born from a blend of memory, imagination, research, planning, craftsmanship, and collective choices. Every drawing holds a step of the journey until the story takes shape, movement, and voice on the avenue.