• From cubicle to Carnival: A samba dancer keeps her day job

    Felipe Dana / AP

    Samba dancer Diana Prado, right, adjusts her costume as she prepares for a carnival parade at central station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 2.

    Felipe Dana / AP

    Samba dancer and as a call center supervisor Diana Prado talks with a co-worker, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 5.

    Slideshow: Brazil's carnival celebrations

    Pilar Olivares / Reuters

    A reveller participates in the annual block party known as the "Banda de Ipanema

    Launch slideshow

    Published 3:30pm ET -- Though samba dancers, or "passistas," as they're known in Portuguese, are unquestionably the star attractions of the world's most iconic Carnival celebrations, they're not on the payroll of the samba school they represent. Diana Prado made her Carnival debut at age 19, after auditioning for a spot with the Sao Clemente, one of 13 top-tier schools that will compete for the annual titles at the Sambadrome this weekend.

    Prado spends her daylight hours working at a call center. At night, she is a samba dancer for the Sao Clemente group. Although her hectic schedule of pre-Carnival preparations often requires her to apply her extravagant glitter stage makeup in the office bathroom, Prado insists being a "passista" doesn't undermine her authority with the 15 telemarketers she supervises.

    -- The Associated Press

    Felipe Dana / AP

    Samba dancer and a call center supervisor Diana Prado sits at her work desk, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 5.

    Felipe Dana / AP

    Samba dancer Diana Prado does her makeup before the start of a carnival parade at central station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 2.

    Felipe Dana / AP

    Samba dancer Diana Prado performs during a carnival parade at central station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 2.

  • Samba workshop for the visually impaired in San Paulo

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Visually impaired participant Giovana feels the mask of a "Fantasia" Samba costume at the Camisa Verde e Branco Samba school during a workshop organised by the "So Nao Ve Quem Nao Quer" (only those who don't want to see, do not see) project in Sao Paulo, Feb. 2.

    Nacho Doce / Reuters

    Visually impaired participants Diogo, left, and Airton, right, learn to dance from a member of the Camisa Verde e Branco Samba school during a workshop organized by the "So Nao Ve Quem Nao Quer" (only those who don't want to see, do not see) project in Sao Paulo on Feb. 2. The project, jointly organized by the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind and the City Hall of Sao Paulo, puts the 45 visually impaired participants through a week long course with 3 different samba schools to learn and experience the performance of samba.

    By Elena Grothe

    This dance workshop, according to Reuters, was jointly organized by the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind and the City Hall of Sao Paulo, and puts the 45 visually impaired participants through a week long course with 3 different samba schools to learn and experience the performance of samba.