Sambas sweat at Copacabana

Press, 12 February 1986, Page 11

Sambas sweat at Copacabana

NZPA-Reuterßio de Janeiro Throbbing to the beat of samba drums, revellers filled the streets and beaches of Rio de Janeiro yesterday, building up to the second and final night of the spectacular carnival parade. The famous Copacabana beach turned into one big samba party. Dancers, even more scantily-clad than usual, sweated under the hot sun, refreshing themselves with generous doses of cold beer and the local cane spirit.

The outrageous antics of gaudily-dressed transvestites delighted tourists. Some struck provocative poses on the bonnets of cars, startling, then mesmerising, the drivers. Others lifted their skirts to fascinated onlookers,' displaying what they had, or did not have on, underneath, Old and young alike, many in fancy-dress, joined bands belting out brassy music to parade through the streets, creating chaos among the traffic. As night fell the revell-

ers returned to their homes or hotels to prepare themselves for the festivities to come later — either dancing in the extravagant balls at sports and social clubs, or taking part in the fantastic carnival processions where hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on the 90-minute exhibition by each samba school. The biggest crowdpleaser yesterday was Imperio Serrano, whose song called on Brazil’s 11month old civilian Government to end the poverty and corruption it in-

herited from 20 years of military rule. The song echoed the feelings of many of the 80,000 spectators, who also cheered wildly as the Caprichosos de Pilares club made a scathing attack on what it called American interference in Brazilian politics. Violence at this year’s carnival, which officially started on Saturday, has been less than in previous years and, according to the police, less than on normal days.