The women who sparkle in 'greatest show on Earth'

It is dubbed the ‘greatest show on Earth’ with thousands of sparkling Brazilian dancers ignoring sweltering heat to put on a spectacular samba parade.

Welcome to the Brazilian carnival!

Rio de Janeiro came alive as the city's carnival hit its peak in a stunning cocktail of glamour, fancy dress and pounding samba anthems. Drum queen Flavia Lyra from Imperatriz samba school performs during the second night of the Carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro.
Photograph: Pilar Olivares/Reuters

Dancers from different samba schools wore a sparkling array of revealing outfits as they competed against one another in the carnival celebration at the Marques de Sapucai Sambodrome.
Photograph: Sergio Moraes/Reuters

Dancers battled through sweltering conditions in the Sambadrome as they performed in front of a crowd of 72,000 in Rio.
Photograph: Sergio Moraes/Reuters

A reveller from Uniao da Ilha Samba school carried a display of blue and green feathers as she paraded through the stadium.
Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters

Drum queen Juliana Alves from Unidos da Tijuca Samba school  decked herself out in feathers as she danced through the stadium to the deafening sound of samba. 
Photograph: Pilar Olivares/Reuters

Many of the dancers wore daring outfits as they joined thousands of others for the glittering parade. Drum queen Milena Nogueira from Imperio Serrano samba school wowed in her white sequinned suit with blue feathers.
Photograph: Sergio Moraes/Reuters

The parade with these stunning women was as always a lush cocktail of glamour, eccentric costumes, pounding samba anthems and sweaty, pulsating sensuality. 
Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters

The parade is no laughing matter for Brazil. The love for the carnival is may be second only to Brazil's first love -- Football!
Photograph: Pilar Olivares/Reuters

Each samba school gets about an hour to parade with some 3,000 dancers, singers and drummers dressed in over-the-top costumes. Last year, the contest ended in a draw between the Mocidade and Portela schools.
Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters

Drum queen Viviane Araujo from Salgueiro performs during the carnival. The parade sees an array of wonderfully weird costumes and we can say Araujo's costume is definitely not for the faint of heart! Photograph: Sergio Moraes/Reuters

Dancing the music without a care in the world!
Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters