Carnival 2009

Ana and I are doing a piece about Carnival for Spin Earth (www.spinearth.tv), the new "spin-off" of the American magazine "Spin". We decided to follow the Queen of the Battery and the Battery of Renascer Jacarépagua as they prepared to parade down the Sambodrome in all their glory.

The actress Nivea Stellman is the Queen of the Battery and we started off in her Hotel Room while she got ready. Make-up all done, here she is catching a few moments of rest before she heads off to the Sambodrome.

All ready to go.

Then we went down to where the battery was prepping - putting on the uniforms, distributing the instruments, tuning everything up and getting ready to go.

Then it was off to the parade

Before the schools go out there's an area where everybody "concentrates" - puts on makeup and costumes, forms the lines... basically getting all psyched up to go out and perform.

Nivea came out shining

Out on the floor of the Sambodrome, the Battery gave their Queen a blusterous welcoming

The parade was incredible, full of emotion and excitement til the break of dawn.