Samba school muse dies after parading in Brazilian Carnival

Businesswoman Aline Bianca, 38 years old, muse of the samba school Independente do Boa Vista, from Vitória, in Espírito Santo, died on the afternoon of this Sunday, February 23, hours after parading for the group, six times champion of the Espírito Santo Carnival .

The school's parade ended early Sunday morning at Sambão do Povo, the sambadrome in Vitória. According to a statement from Boa Vista, the businesswoman felt unwell when she was already at home and was taken to the Meridional Hospital in the municipality of Serra, where she suffered a fatal heart attack early in the afternoon.

“Aline was more than a muse, she was a source of inspiration, an example of dedication and passion for the art of samba,” said the statement released by the school. “Her presence and her contagious energy left an indelible mark on all of us. Her light will continue to shine in our memories and in our hearts.”

The businesswoman paraded for an hour at the front of the second float and even published a series of videos on social media to show her performance in the school's presentation, which she had been representing for three years. According to Globo , Aline had no health problems or heart history, and underwent periodic exams every three months.

Aline had owned a beauty salon in Serra since 2007 and was due to open a new space in the second half of this year. She leaves behind her husband, Rafael Aquino, and two children, aged 10 and 19.

The 38-year-old Brazilian became a samba muse thanks to an unexpected event, recalled the director of the independent school in Boa Vista, Alex Alves, to Globo . “She came to a rehearsal and fell in love with the school. She said she wanted to be a muse, but there were no vacancies. Then, something unexpected happened and one of the girls was unable to parade. I called her and she accepted the invitation with flying colors and paraded at the last minute,” he said.

Given the demands, Aline trained four hours a day for the 2025 parade and shared part of her preparation on social media. “Every year she got more involved. And this year she was very passionate about the theme, she was very dedicated. She said that Boa Vista was her home and was already making plans for next year, saying that she wanted to dedicate herself even more,” added Alex Alves.

With 1500 members, Boa Vista had as its theme the photographs of Sebastião Salgado, in the plot “The Eyes of the World - Hauntings of Sebastião Salgado”.

PÚBLICO respected the composition of the original text, with the exception of some words or expressions not used in Portuguese from Portugal.