G.R.E.S. Unidos de Oslo, or Oslo samba school, is Norway's first and only one of its kind. The samba school was founded in the summer of 2011, and works towards becoming a samba school as authentic as possible against our inspiration, the big samba schools in Rio de Janeiro.
G.R.E.S. Unidos de Oslo is a non-profit cultural association. We meet from many nationalities with the same interest in samba and Brazilian culture. We work to create as authentic an environment as possible compared to the samba schools in Rio de Janeiro. The samba school offers different types of teaching. Dancers, musicians and other interested parties have the opportunity to learn to dance and play carnival samba, as well as the traditions for which the samba schools in Rio de Janeiro are best known. The core of the samba school is our bateria. A bateria consists of many "ritmistas" who play various Brazilian instruments. Together, they form the heavy rhythm that the Brazilian samba schools are known for, which makes it difficult to stand still.
The abbreviation G.R.E.S. or "GrĂªmio Recreativo Escola de Samba", means "The Recreational Association Samba School". A samba school is the core of a local community in Brazil. In Norway, you may use the word velforening, but the meaning is almost the same as a samba school in Rio de Janeiro. In Rio de Janeiro, the samba schools with 3,000-4,000 members stand in the parade at the Sambadromo. G.R.E.S. Unidos de Oslo is constantly working to be as authentic a Brazilian samba school as possible. To become a samba school, a number of criteria are set, and until G.R.E.S. Unidos de Oslo fulfills these requirements, we will be a Bloco.
G.R.E.S Unidos de Oslo can also be booked for all types of gigs and assignments. We can offer shows, parades or teaching. Our instructors also work with team building and teaching in schools and for companies that want a different way of working together.