Red and gold beadwork, a fringed skirt and a kiss for her husband on the floor: at 51, Viviane Araújo sambas at Salgueiro rehearsal ahead of its Xica da Silva theme

Viviane Araújo spent the early hours of Sunday (11) dancing samba at the Acadêmicos do Salgueiro rehearsal hall in Rio, in another rehearsal for the 2027 Carnival. At 51, the drum queen wore a nude tulle top covered in red, black and gold arabesque beadwork, an asymmetrical skirt with dark fringe and large sequins, and gold platform heels, with her long straight hair parted in the middle.

Her husband, businessman Guilherme Militão, whom she married in 2021, joined the rehearsal in a white tank top and light shorts, and the two kissed in front of the Furiosa drum section. Bruna Griphao, Amanda Omi and Mulher Melão also stopped by. Viviane was named the school's drum queen in 2006 and debuted in the role at the 2007 parade; in a 2024 interview with gshow, she described her bond with the red-and-white school as that of a 'soulmate'.

At the next Carnival, Salgueiro will take 'Laroyê Xica da Silva: A História por Trás da História' to the Sambadrome, by carnival designer Jorge Silveira, revisiting its 1963 championship parade, also about Xica da Silva, with a focus on the leadership and ancestry of Black women. The samba was chosen in September, and the school will be the third to parade on Carnival Monday, February 8, 2027.