Feb 3 - Carnival Sambadrome, Rio de Janeiro's annual Carnival, is in full swing. Drummers and dancers created a huge party atmosphere in the Brazilian capital in celebration of Carnival. Parading through the 70,000 seat stadium, dancers from the famous Samba schools showed off their dance moves and extravagant costumes. Some performances used forklift trucks and metal baskets to put dancers on tiny pedestals that sprout upwards from tall floats. Thin columns of decorated scaffolding support the pedestals, which shake wildly as dancers move to the sound of thundering drums. Carnival draws on pagan and Christian traditions, and is celebrated prior to the start of Lent. The partying will end on Ash Wednesday.