Inside Humming Bird - Rio Carnival`s Powerhouse

In a city where the Samba school championship is coveted as jealously as a major soccer cup.

If Alexandre Louzada exudes a little arrogance when he describes his beloved Beija-Flor Samba school, no one can say it is unfounded.

When Beija-Flor (Portuguese for humming bird) hits Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome on Sunday in the contest for best Carnival parade, the 11 other top schools will be shaking in their sequined boots after its run of five victories in the last six years.

In a city where the Samba school championship is coveted as jealously as a major soccer cup, Beija-Flor's consistent success has sparked allegations ranging from it being backed by crime gangs to its alleged buying of judges to pure luck.

"This happens when a school reaches a level that the others can't touch," 51-year-old Louzada said of the allegations as he perched on a desk in Rio's City of Samba, where Beija-Flor and other schools frantically put final touches to their parades.

"There are 40 judges -- you can't buy a result."

As a Beija-Flor "Carnavalesco" for the past two years, Louzada's role is as a director's to a film, setting the overall tone and design from costumes to the elaborate floats.

Hammers pounded and sewing machines buzzed nearby as about 60 workers in the compound worked feverishly on a parade that involves 4,000 people and portrays the history of bathing.

Beija-Flor is seeking its third straight title and its floats range from portrayals of Queen Cleopatra bathing in milk, to Louis Pasteur's discovery that germs cause illness, to Afro-Brazilian religious devotees "bathing their souls."

Using 18,000 liters (4,750 gallons) of water and costing more than $3 million, it cements Beija-Flor's reputation as the "school of luxury" for its audacious and ostentatious parades.

To an untrained eye the annual parades appear to be little more than a huge party. In reality, it is a deadly serious competition for bragging rights with schools judged on harmony, costumes, music, atmosphere and movement among other elements.

The city comes to a halt when the results are announced live on television the following Wednesday.

"NEAR PERFECTION"

Just as in soccer, there are relegation and promotion battles, and in recent years Beija-Flor has established itself as the Manchester United or New York Giants of the show.

It is a full-time job for Louzada and 60 others, who begin working on next year's parade as early as April -- all for a single, 45-minute procession through the Sambadrome stadium.

For Louzada, a 29-year veteran of Carnival design, Beija-Flor's success is rooted in the strength of its home community, the town of Nilopolis in Rio's rough Baixada Fluminense area.

"Beija-Flor prioritizes the people of Nilopolis. We will invest in a pretty local girl with no resources rather than an artist," he said. "The big advantage is this and our practices -- we are almost too serious in practicing."

While many schools allow foreigners to pay to join their parades with little or no practice, Louzada said Beija-Flor demands months of commitment from outsiders who want to join.

Hiram Araujo, a veteran Carnival aficionado, said Beija-Flor had reached a level of "near perfection" thanks to the passion and commitment it inspires in Nilopolis and the largess of its main sponsor, businessman Aniz Abrao David.

Widely known as "Anisio", the 70-year-old benefactor has been arrested three times in the past two years on suspicion of bribery stemming from his alleged involvement in an illegal numbers game, fueling suspicions that Beija-Flor's success is down to more than a "strong community."

A scandal erupted in 2007 over allegations that judges were paid to secure Beija-Flor's victory.

But it would not be the only Samba school with murky financial backing, and none of that mattered to the reported 50,000 ecstatic fans who turned out on Sunday night at the Sambadrome to watch Beija-Flor's final practice.

Many wearing the school's trademark light blue T-shirts with a humming bird emblazoned on the front, they bellowed out Beija-Flor's theme song and screamed their approval at the appearance of famous figures like singer "Neguinho."

"Love, affection, passion and very Beija Flor," said Maekon Paulo, a 30-year-old Nilopolis resident, after watching the parade and drinking several beers.