I have been dancing since I was little, various dance styles, from ballroom dancing, acrobatic rock’n’roll, street dance… all sorts. Visiting the carnival in Rio de Janeiro and dance in the Rio Carnival Parade was my biggest dream. I remember when I was little, I saw footage of the carnival in Rio on the news and I really longed to experience it one day. But I never even dreamed that I would actually be dancing in the parade at the carnival. 🌟🇧🇷
But there are moments when you say something out loud and the universe takes it seriously. This was one of those moments.
Dance in the Rio Carnival parade – how it all began 💃
Do you watch the Dancing with the stars? I do regularly 😀 One weekend they announced samba round. That weekend I went for a walk with my friend Kaja, also a dancer, also forever with rhythm in her feet. While catching up on life, I suddenly remembered and started gesturing spontaneously and said to her: “I really want to go to Rio for the carnival and dance in Rio Carnival parade. I’ll have such wings! And such feathers on my head! And a bare butt” 🙈 Of course, I meant a samba costume 😀
Kaja looked at me, not a second of silence, and said: “Come on! I know a dancer named Veronika Lálová, who guides tours to Rio and goes there to dance as a Musa.”
IMMEDIATELY we looked into each other’s eyes, we both knew what it meant. SAY NO MORE! Let’s go. 🙌
We paid the deposit maybe within a week. And then we just… waited. Three quarters of a year 😄 When the itinerary finally arrived, there was a bit of disappointment because it didn’t mention anything about dancing, “only” a visit to the carnival on the stands. A few weeks before departure, we had a coordination call where one of the participants asked about the possibility of dancing because last year she saw a group of tourists who managed to do it. Veronika discreetly asked if anyone would be interested. Of course, Kaja and I were IMMEDIATELY on the list 😀
When is the carnival in Rio de Janeiro held and what to expect? 🗓️
The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro takes place every year in February, always just before Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the Catholic Lent. Officially, it lasts five days, but the carnival atmosphere in the streets of Rio can be felt as early as January, when the first street parties, called blocos, take place. So if you are planning a trip, February is the right month to buy your plane tickets. However, all of Rio is extremely booked, so don’t forget to reserve your accommodation in advance.
The heart of the entire carnival is the sambadrome, where individual samba schools compete for the title of the best school of the year. But the carnival in Rio is not just the sambadrome. The whole city transforms into one huge dance floor.
First look of the Sambadrome
When I first stepped onto the Sambadrome stands as a spectator, even before I knew I would be dancing, I cried. Simply. I stood there with my mouth open, unable to understand what was happening around me.
90 thousand people. Everyone is singing, cheering, dancing, celebrating. Costumes, feathers, parade floats, musicians, fireworks, colors everywhere. Feathers and glitter everywhere! The energy is simply incredible and impossible to convey, not even the best camera shot can make you feel it. You have to be there. You have to experience it and feel it on your own skin!
How I, as a foreigner, managed to dance at the carnival in Rio de Janeiro 💃
Our guide Veronika Lálová is a dancer who performs at the carnival as a Musa. A Musa is a solo dancer, the one with the huge beautiful costume, wings, and a crown on her head, known from those iconic carnival photos. These dancers face very high demands; they must be professional samba dancers, physically and technically skilled. Dancing as a Musa is a great honor. 👑
Since Veronika has been attending the carnival in Rio de Janeiro for several years and knows the local scene from the inside, she has great contacts in the local samba schools. Thanks to them, she managed to get us, a group of enthusiastic Europeans, directly into the parade of one samba school, which happened to have a few free spots.
With Kaja, we were the first to raise our hands without hesitation. Not a second of doubt. And our energy eventually swept up almost the entire group 😄 In the end, 14 of us from the trip, of all age groups, were dancing 😀
Training, costumes, and the right energy
We also had samba lessons included to our trip, so we warmed up a bit, learned the basic steps, and listened to the song of our samba school.
And the costumes? Well, I won’t lie. While Musa looked like a goddess with towering wings and a crown on her head, we in our costumes looked a bit like a cross between a kiwi and the Duolingo owl 😂🦉 But you know what, we wore it with full commitment and pride. A costume is a costume, and we went all in.
I didn’t dance alone, but I was part of a community where professional dancers are not necessary. In this part of the procession, technical perfection doesn’t matter. It’s about showing joy in dancing, having the right energy, knowing a few steps to the rhythm, and simply enjoying it. And we knew that. 🙂
What we felt as outsiders, however, was a huge responsibility. We were grateful that they accepted us at all. That they trusted us. We wanted to show them that it was the right decision and that we would not tarnish the reputation of their samba school. We took it seriously, even though we were in those kiwi costumes 😅
That feeling at the Sambadromo
I have been dancing since I was a child. Years of training, countless competitions and performances. I thought I knew what it was like to dance for an audience.
I didn’t know. This was something completely different.
The energy of 90 thousand people, where everyone is cheering, singing, supporting, dancing, is incredible. It’s that feeling when you want to cry from emotion, but at the same time, the rush of euphoria and adrenaline won’t let you shed a tear. You just smile. You laugh. From a full, grateful heart. You’re not even fully aware of yourself, just the music, the rhythm, the energy around, and the feeling that you are exactly where you’re meant to be. 🎶
I have never experienced anything like this. And I know I won’t forget it anytime soon.
Chceš zažiť brazílsky karneval aj ty? 🌟🇧🇷
If you dream of experiencing the Rio de Janeiro Carnival not just from the stands of the Sambadrome, but directly from within as a dancer in the parade, look for tours with experienced guides who have contacts in local samba schools. It is through these connections that doors will open that you would never have found on your own.
You will learn a few steps of samba. You will get a costume, even if it’s maybe a bit kiwi style 😂 You have the energy, you just need to let it out. 💃
That moment when you step onto the sambadrome and the music engulfs you? You remember it for a lifetime. Just like I do. 🇧🇷✨
