Vila Isabel

Originally established by Antônio Fernandes da Silveira as the Carnaval bloco Azul e Branco de Vila Isabel, the organization transformed during the 1947 celebrations into the samba school Unidos da Vila Isabel. Though it rarely placed highly in the yearly competition, the school competed across all three divisions. Its promotion to the top tier occurred in 1956 after securing second position with the theme "Três Épocas." Advancement to the second division followed in 1960, when first-place honors in the lowest group came with "Poeta dos Escravos." Five years later, "Epopéia do Teatro Municipal" earned another second-place finish and restored the school to the premier division. The long-awaited championship finally arrived in 1988 with "Kizomba -- Festa da Raça" (Rodolfo/Jonas/Luiz Carlos), an enredo written by Martinho da Vila, who had served as the school's principal composer since the mid-1960s.