Word from Brazil involves members of the first all-female samba school in Rio de Janeiro.

They’ve been rehearsing for this weekend’s Carnival parade with dancers twirling in blue, red and white and 40 drummers pounding the rhythm with gusto.

The group’s 54-year-old leader, Barbara Rigaud, says the big samba schools in Rio are coordinated by men, which means women are used to receiving orders. But she says with her school, a woman can express her desires, her ideas and her opinions, which she says increases self-esteem.

Rigaud opened the school last September and has more than 300 members.

Their first parade is set for this Sunday.