RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Carnival always breathes life into the economy of Vila Vintem, a favela on Rio de Janeiro's west side, but this year the pulse is even stronger with its Unidos de Padre Miguel ...

:: “It's a feeling of a cleansed soul, because I've been doing Carnival for many years, this is my second with Beija Flor, last year we didn't get the result we expected, but this year God honored us.

Members of Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel Samba School perform during a rehearsal in preparation for the 2014 carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro February 2, 2014. REUTERS/Lucas ...

One of Rio's most storied Samba schools will explore the "Pain and Passion" of the lives of the Bantu people in the city. Bantu people were the majority of Black people enslaved in Rio. Modern Brazil ...

RIO DE JANEIRO — At a classical orchestra, a conductor’s raised hands often means the start of a performance. Tracing shapes in the air could point to how each beat must come. And one’s free fingers ...

On a recent Friday night, a potent cocktail of excitement, nerves and pent-up energy filled the midsummer air at Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Sambadrome, as decked out performers from the Salgueiro ...

Modern Brazil is what it is today - the foods, the religious traditions, and, of course, the music - in large part because of its African roots. That's the message one of Rio de Janeiro's famous samba ...