Feature: Rio's carnival samba show stuns spectators with cre

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- A flying man, driven by a few powerful water jets at his feet, flew up after emerging from a swimming pool and mounting on a float.

In another moment of the show, a large drone decorated as a flying saucer soared above the dancers, adding fun and splendidness to Sambadrome, Rio's internationally famous parade performance during carnival which ended on Tuesday night.

The performance of Portela samba school, along with other schools, stunned the 72,500 spectators in Rio, with creativeness involving various tricks. The performers also added a touch of magic and amazement to win judges' heart at Sambadrome, also a competition.

Performers from Salgueiro samba school dressed up as typical rascal characters in the city's most traditional neighborhoods, depicting prostitution, illegal betting and nightclubs in their dance.

As always, Salgueiro made an effort to put together a happy and catchy song, performed by dancers in the 70-minute-long show.

The highlight of Villa Isabel school's performance was its "drum queen," a well-known local television presenter Sabrina Sato, who wore a stunning gold costume that caught sunlight while she was dancing.

The Sao Clemente school dedicated their performance to clowns, with various colors, games and surprises for the public.

However, it suffered a mishap when their "drum queen" slipped and fell close to the judges.

For the competition, slight differences in the points could decide between winning and losing the championship title. For a small school like Sao Clemente, the slippage could mean relegation to the second division if the judges deemed it necessary.

The champion will be announced after the 36 judges have graded each performance based on criteria such as costumes, floats, music and themes.

Sambadrome choreographer and designer Paulo Barros, famous in the Rio carnival for his special effects, choreography, costume and carriage design, has become one of the biggest award winners in recent years.

The star likes to involve vehicles and lots of people in his choreography but is also criticized by traditional audiences for deemphasizing samba dance.