A samba dancer showcased her best dance moves at the carnival and captivated everybody with her charm. | Boys playroom

As Rio de Janeiro prepares to kick off three days of dazzling carnival parades, one samba school has chosen to honor President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the Sambodrome carnival parade. The parades of the city's top 12 samba schools -- a ferocious competition featuring towering, animated floats, thundering drum sections and scantily-clad samba queens -- are the showpiece of Rio's carnival. Samba school Academicos de Niteroi, the first to parade, has chosen Lula -- the first time a serving pres