Rio's top samba schools are busy preparing for the city's 2015 Carnival, taking place next month. Lucrecia Franco finds out about some of the intensive training required to become Carnival Champion..... as the big rehearsals get underway at the city's Sambodromo.
It takes almost a full year to stage this unique spectacle…and, before Rio's Samba schools parade in all its splendor, there is intense planning and preparation.
Heavy duty practices are taking place at the Sambodromo, the purpose-built samba stadium, a striking performance in it is own right.
Kellyn Rosa, has been exercising and dieting for months to prepare for her role as a leading dancer. It is harder than it looks.
"We are rehearsing to know if we can get in step with very high heels. It demands a lot of training," Rosa said.
She is not alone. With some four thousand participants each, Rio's top Samba schools need to train to run almost like a military parade, or for some as a crucial football competition drill.
Samba schools just have one opportunity to rehearse here at the Sambodromo, just one chance to get it right. Any mistake can cost valuable points on the night of the parade.
The countdown has started …and everyone has big hopes that this year their Samba schools will be crowned Rio's 2015 Carnival Champion in February, a title that means glory and big cash prizes.