Did you miss me?! Well, I missed you! Now that I am back, I wanted to catch up on the latest happenings in Rio as we prepare for Carnaval 2023. This week we dive into the latest rainhas, musas, and samba enredos updates in both Grupo Especial and Serie Ouro. Vamos là!

Special Guest: The Sounds of Brooklyn (aka excuse the background noise)

Listen to the 2023 Samba Enredos

Serie Ouro Samba Enredos 2023

Grupo Especial Samba Enredos 2023

Let's match the faces with a few names I mentioned:

Lorena Raissa Rainha da Bateria, Beija Flor 

Mayara Lima Rainha da Bateria, Paraíso do Tuiuti

Valeska Reis Musa, Império Serrano

Wenny Isa Princesa da Bateria, Império Serrano

Darlin Ferrattry Rainha da Bateria, Império Serrano

I’m humbled and honored to welcome two people that I love and respect to the podcast, Alex Coutinho and Inès Ouedraogo!! Join me and Inès in learning more about Alex while digging into the world of samba no pé. This episode will be in Portuguese and English with translation support by Inés. Vamos là!

Special Guests: 

Alex Coutinho

Alex Coutinho is an internationally renowned Samba professional. His charisma, inclusivity and samba technique have made him one of the most sought after instructors and mentors. Alex defines himself as a teacher of samba no pé. Currently, he is the Director de Passistas for samba schools Paraíso do Tuiuti and Acadêmicos do Cubango. Alex is also the Artistic Director of the International group of Samba dancers the Poderosas do the Samba. Alex is experienced in training Samba dancers starting at 8 years old and has shared his culture and expertise to over 15 countries. Follow Alex on Instagram.

Inès Ouedraogo, PhD

Dr. Inès is a scholar with her research in romance studies, professor, dancer, and instructor with SambaViva, a samba dance ensemble located in Boston MA. Her passion for Brazilian culture led her to learn Portuguese and samba a decade ago. Since then, she's been continuously looking to improve her samba dance skills through training with professionals in Rio, São Paulo and the US. Inès has paraded as a passista and musa with several top samba schools in Rio. Additionally, Inès enjoys connecting North and West African movements to samba, not only as an appreciation of her roots but also as a way to celebrate human unity. Through samba she seeks to express, share and transmit joy, self-confidence and freedom. Follow Inès on Instagram and Mais Quadril.

Baby Heitor, Alex's son!

The Sounds of Brooklyn, Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico (aka excuse any background noise)

Additional Highlight Let's match the faces with a few names I mentioned:

• Ale Jansen, co founder of Poderosas do Samba
• Nilce Fran

Sound Effects: Just Breaking by David Fesliyan

Let’s close out our journey of getting familiar with some of the schools in the second and final part of this series. Buckle in for this episode because we will focus on the 15😅 samba schools in the 2023 Serie Ouro (gold series) or as I like to refer to as D2. By now you know that these episodes are long… but necessary! Thank you for listening 🤎! Vamos là!

A few links to supplement your research:

Samba School Instagram Profiles

• Arranco do Engenho de Dentro
• Sociedade Recreativa Escola de Samba Lins Imperial
• Acadêmicos de Vigário Geral
• Estácio de Sá
• Unidos de Padre Miguel
• Acadêmicos do Sossego
• São Clemente
• União de Jacarepaguá
• Unidos da Ponte
• Unidos de Bangu
• Em Cima da Hora
• Unidos do Porto da Pedra
• União da Ilha do Governador 
• Império da Tijuca
• Inocentes de Belford Roxo

Let's match the faces with a few names I mentioned:

• 2023 samba enredo submissions for Portela and Mangueria
• Arranco Rei da Escola Richard Silva
• Estácio da Sá Passita Director and Musa Larissa Reis
• Régine Bellinger America Passista of Unidos de Padre Miguel

Sound Effects: Just Breaking by David Fesliyan

Now that we are familiar with how Rio’s samba schools are structured, it’s time to get familiar with some of the schools in this 2 part series. This episode we will focus on the 12 samba schools in the 2023 Grupo Especial (special group) or as I like to refer to as D1. Once again, this episode is a little long but what can I say… There’s A LOT to cover. Vamos là!

Special Guest: The Sounds of Brooklyn (aka excuse the background noise)

Samba School Instagram Profiles

• Império Serrano
• Acadêmicos do Grande Rio
• Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel
• Unidos da Tijuca
• Acadêmicos do Salgueiro
• Estação Primeira de Mangueira
• Paraíso do Tuiuti
• Portela
• Unidos de Vila Isabel
• Imperatriz Leopoldinense
• Beija-Flor de Nilópolis
• Unidos do Viradouro

Let's match the faces with a few names I mentioned:

Valeska Reis Instagram and my favorite samba video of hers

As mentioned, Império Serrano will honor Arlindo Cruz and Grande Rio will honor Zeca Pagodinho in their 2023 parades. Enjoy Meu Lugar (Live) by Arlindo Cruz and Deixa a Vida Me Levar (Live) by Zeca Pagodinho, two of my favorite song of theirs.

Castorzinho, Mocidade’s very popular mascot!

This episode I help build your carnaval foundation with the basics including, about how Rio de Janeiro’s escola de samba (samba school) structure, key players, and timelines so we can all be on the same page. This episode is a little longer than I anticipated but what can I say… there’s A LOT to cover. Vamos là!

Special Guest: The Sounds of Brooklyn (please excuse the background noise)

A few links to supplement your research:

1. Carnaval History
2. The First Samba Schools
3. Sambodromo (also known as Sapucai
4. Dona Zilá - Velha guarda da Paraíso do Tuiuti
5. Velha Guarda of Império Serrano in 2020 Parade
6. Apuração (Scoring) Carnaval 2022

Before we get into the fun journey of learning more about carnaval, it’s a good idea to get to know the host, Buxxy, a bit. This episode is all about me, my adoration of all things samba, and how we landed here… with me recording a podcast in my closet. After the episode, I invite you to:

• Get to know me personally on Instagram @Buxxy
• Read a little more about my journey: The Black Expat: The Loss Of My Father Led Me To Brazil
• Get to know me professionally: Yemayá Consulting
• Meet the teachers who I credit with building my samba love and foundation: Danielle Lima and Alex Coutinho.

Here's a sneak peak of what you can expect this season on This Week In Carnaval! New episodes will drop starting July 18, 2022! Subscribe and mark your calendars. I can't wait to go on this journey with you! ❤️🎉