The samba school

Samba school

A samba school is a club or dancing school. They practice and often perform in huge square-compounds devoted to practicing and exhibiting samba, an African-Brazilian dance. The schools are traditionally associated with a particular neighborhood, often shanty towns...

 Imperatriz Leopoldinense was created on March 6, 1956 in the suburb of Ramos, in Rio de Janeiro.
It is named after Maria Leopoldina

Maria Leopoldina of Austria

Maria Leopoldina of Austria was an archduchess of Austria, Empress consort of Brazil and queen consort of Portugal....

, archduchess of Austria and Empress of Brazil, consort of Emperor Pedro I.

Imperatriz began its successful journey to victory in 1980 when it won the championship for the first time. Since then it won the first prize eight times.

Imperatriz Leopoldinense's championships

• 1980: O que que a Bahia tem First championship of the school together with Portela
  GRES Portela
  The Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba Portela is one of the most traditional samba schools of the city of Rio de Janeiro.- History :In the beginning of the 20th century, in Oswaldo Cruz, there was the carnivalesque group of dancers called Quem Fala de Nós Come Mosca , of Dona Ester...
  
   and Beija-Flor
  GRES Beija-Flor de Nilópolis
  The Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba Beija-Flor is a Samba school headquartered in the municipality of Nilópolis, Baixada Fluminense, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.- History :...
  
  . The theme was the state of Bahia
  Bahia
  Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
  
   and its traditions.

• 1981: O teu cabelo não nega Imperatriz was the only champion. The theme refers to an ancient Brazilian composer.

• 1989: Liberdade, liberdade, abre as asas sobre nós Luxury and happiness were the two main features of the parade of Imperatriz. The theme recalls the history of Brazilian republican history.

• 1994: Catarina de Médicis na corte dos Tupínambôs e Tabajeres Very impressive floats and costumes were the main features of this presentation which tells us the story of a feast based in Brazilian Indian rites, in the city of Rouen
  Rouen
  Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
  
  , France
  France
  The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
  
  , in the 16th century.

• 1995: Mais vale um jegue que me caregue que um camelo que me derrube, lá no Ceará The theme focused on the importation of camel
  Camel
  A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
  
  s to be used as transportation in the Northeast of Brazil durind the second half of the 19th century.

• 1999: Brasil mostra a sua cara em... Theatrum Rerum Naturalium Brasilie The theme was a 17th century book called Theatrum Rerum Naturalium Brasilie which shows the first realistic drawings of Brazilian fauna and flora.

• 2000: Quem descobriu o Brasil, foi seu Cabral, no dia 22 de abril, dois meses depois do carnaval The theme was an homage to the 500 years of the Discovery of Brazil by the Portuguese
  Portugal
  Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
  
   navigators.

• 2001: Cana-caiana, cana roxa, cana fita, cana preta, amarela, Pernambuco... Quero vê descê o suco, na pancada do ganzá The theme tells the story of the sugar cane in Brazil, with a detour to talk about the "cachaça", the most famous Braziian spirit which is made out of the sugar cane.