Beija-Flor Champions Again In Rio

Samba group Beija Flor was declared champion of Brazil's carnival for the fifth time in six years this week, wowing judges with extravagant floats featuring winged dancers and rich, green jungle displays. Beija Flor's samba parade honored legends of the Amazon rain forest and received a near-perfect score of 399.3 out of a possible 400 points. The Salgueiro group came in second with a score of 398 for their parade celebrating Rio de Janeiro; Grande Rio came in third.


While Beija Flor's dancers were topless, the judges drew the line at going bottomless, penalizing the rival Sao Clemente group for breaking a rule against display of genitalia during its 80-minute parade. They didn't name the offender, but she was widely believed to be samba queen Viviane Castro, who danced wearing only a 1.6-inch patch of fabric, believed to be the smallest in Rio parade history. As a result, Sao Clemente will be relegated to the second league of samba schools.


During the wild celebrations after the announcement of the winners, three people were injured in a shooting in front of Beija Flor's headquarters, according to Globo TV. Two had to be hospitalized. Police said they did not know what caused the shooting. An earlier fight inside the headquarters had prompted the school to halt distribution of alcoholic drinks and the party was cut short.


Beija Flor-- which means "Hummingbird" in Portuguese-- has dominated recent competitions, but its reputation was marred by accusations that directors conspired to steal last year's championship by intimidating judges. An investigation yielded an inconclusive report. Another controversy involved the Viradouro school, which was prohibited by a judge from parading with a dancer dressed as Hitler on a float covered in naked Holocaust victims. Worldwide outcry from Jewish groups prompted the judge's order-- after which Viradouro changed the float into a free speech exhibit featuring dozens of gagged men and women in white robes.

The final vote tallies are as follows:

1. Beija-Flor (399.3 pts)
2. Salgueiro (398)
3. Grande Rio (396.9)
4. Portela (396.8)
5. Unidos da Tijuca (396.5)
6. Imperatriz (396.5)
7. Viradouro (396)
8. Mocidade (395.1)
9. Vila Isabel (394.6)
10. Mangueira (393.9)
11. Porto da Pedra (388.2)
12. São Clemente (387.5)