On Monday February 4 we got sidetracked to Laranjeiras to check out a newcomer that has already conquered Carioca hearts and souls. Volta Alice is a bloco, meaning they have a theme song, a percussion band, and a flag-bearer (porta-bandeira) and mestre-sala. This is still a relatively small bloco, but it has a loyal following of revelers that attend to the rehearsals and participate in the selection of the theme song of the year.
In 2008 the theme by Pedro Prado was a big hit, and those that did not know the lyrics had a chance to learn it while the parade happened. The gathering (concentration) is at tradicional restaurant Tasca do Edgar, and from there they go up Rua Alice - one of the most well-known in Laranjeiras. Residents of apartments and houses along the way participated with streamers and showers of paper confetti.
