Tenerife

The "comparsas" are dancing groups who initially imitated the samba schools of the Rio de Janeiro carnival. The first "comparsa" in Tenerife was "Los Cariocas," founded in the seventies by Manuel Monzón following his visit to Brazil where he was impressed by the rhythm and spectacle of its dancers. Nowadays, there are many of these groups with their own style and they play key parts in the carnival.