Casa Samba is a New Orleans-based, authentic Brazilian Escola de Samba (samba school).Mayor Sidney Barthelemy proclaimed Casa Samba as the first samba school in New Orleans on July 21, 1993. Director, Curtis Pierre, and Brazilian master drummer, Jorge “Alabe” Bezerra, lead the group with the assistance of Chuk and Carol Barber. Casa Samba’s primary goal is to present audiences with an authentic Brazilian Carnival and folk arts experience. Furthermore, our goal is to train children and adults in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf South into aspiring practitioners of traditional Brazilian music, cultural arts and dance. Casa Samba does this through weekly open rehearsals and frequent school and university workshops. We showcase our professional performances at major hotels, festivals, conventions and special events and through our annual participation in several Mardi Gras parades and coronations such as Endymion and Zulu and at the New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival. Appropriately enough, Casa Samba first emerged in 1986 during the Mardi Gras season.

http://www.casasamba.com/