however they were not recognized as an exclusive group in the official parade until the 1980s.

in recent times a small wing of the school's 10-15 best samba dancers, or passistas, who are chosen through internal competitions, take their place as one of the highlights of the show.

the vast majority of the passistas come from the lower social classes and begin to learn samba at an early age - as young as 5 to 8 years, the girls begin to dance whilst joining in the fun of carnival in the community.