About Liverpool Samba School

Over 10 years of samba in Liverpool

We are more than just a percussion group! Liverpool Samba School was created over 10 years ago by husband and wife creative team, Roger & Maeve Morris. Roger’s career as a professional percussionist spans the last 40 years and includes accolades such as performing with The Real Thing, Jools Holland and Novo Balanço. Maeve, his wife of 30 years, produces almost single-handedly all of the exquisite costumes worn by the drummers and fabulous dancers from the Liverpool Samba School. They have delivered and participated in over 900 events in Brazil, Amsterdam, Ireland, and the UK.

Liverpool Samba School holds the accolade for being one of the only non Brazilian samba schools to play in the Rio Carnival parade. We have an ongoing partnership with Mangueira samba school -the oldest school in Brazil and many times winner, and through our support of their social projects.

We have won a dazzling array of awards, and have been filmed for a documentary shown on ITV and by the BBC for a Cbeebies programme 'Space Pirates'.

Liverpool Samba School is delivering a Rio-style carnival as part of Liverpool's European Capital of Culture year 2008. The focus on involving the Liverpool communities in its preparation and performance as well as presenting a memorable spectacle for visitors and locals.

Liverpool Samba School have delivered and participated in over 900 events in Brazil, Amsterdam, Ireland, and the UK.

Education and Community work

Part of the Liverpool Samba School philosophy is education through fun. We use drumming, costume making, parading and performing as creative tools for expression.

The samba school promotes and teaches activities which are inclusive and not dependant on levels of literacy. Participants in the first instance need no prior skills or level of proficiency in any one area. Activities such as drumming is pitched and worked to satisfy every level of interest within the one group. One of our core aims is to rekindle the community’s interest in learning.

We have introduced samba and costume making to community collectives and after-schools program such as Shorefields School, Greenhouse Project, Anfield Dockers Club and each group activity has, after a years hard work of making and drumming, culminated in award winning performances for the Lord Mayor’s Parade and Caribbean Carnivals.

We hold a number of trophies for best performance in carnivals since our inception and the samba school is still growing in terms of it’s players, costumes, and gigante puppets and large scale floats. We participated in 2005’s Notting Hill Carnival alongside Manchester School of Samba and took with us a 35 foot long, fully moveable Golden Dragon, which attracted much press interest and gasps from the crowds of onlookers.

We thoroughly enjoy what we do and this commitment and enthusiasm is inspired by Roger and Maeve’s winning combination of total love of the music and of all things Brasilian, and dedication to communities getting together through socially inclusive projects and of learning through creative collaborative practice (as inspired by the Brasilian samba school model).