RIO DE JANEIRO — At a classical orchestra, a conductor’s raised hands often means the start of a performance. Tracing shapes in the air could point to how each beat must come. And one’s free fingers ...

The last time Fernanda Porto (right) performed in Miami, she wowed the crowd at the awards ceremony of the Brazilian Film Festival with an eclectic mix of bossa nova, samba, drum and bass, and for ...

Samba can’t be learned from a textbook alone. Brazil’s musical tradition is best understood first-hand and up close — close enough to feel the drumbeat reverberate inside you. “ It's like an ocean of ...

The drum section plays throughout a school’s entire parade, lasting between 70 and 80 minutes, striving to lose neither tempo nor flair. Carnival judges score parades on a 10-point scale for various ...

Subtle hand signs coordinate the hundreds of pounding drummers in each of Rio de Janeiro’s glitzy Carnival parades. RIO DE JANEIRO — At a classical orchestra, a conductor's raised hands often means ...