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Larissa Neto, a muse of the Unidos da Tijuca Samba School, wears a carnival dress in Sao Goncalo near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 3, 2016. Rio de Janeiro's carnival parades are known the world over for the glitz and glamour, high-tech allegorical floats and shimmering bodies, which battle it out each year for the championship title. The competing samba schools across the city's two leagues prepare the whole year around, devising themes, composing hymns and producing elaborate costumes for more than 5000 members at each school. And for certain members the preparation is particularly intense. Each school is fronted by the Queen of the Drums, who dances alongside the raging percussion, and her court of sparkling, sculpted dancers known as “muses”. For Larissa Neto, a muse and a highlight at one of the top schools, Unidos da Tijuca, the pressure is on as the main parade approaches. (Photo by Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
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