Claudinho & Selminha SORRISO

Claudinho, mestre-sala born Cláudio de Souza, and Selminha Sorriso, born Selma de Mattos Rocha, form one of samba’s most celebrated duos. She began as passista, joined the ranks as porta-bandeira in 1991. He had already been dancing mestre-sala; in 1992, together at Estácio de Sá, they claimed their first championship side by side.

In 1996 they moved to Beija-Flor de Nilópolis. There, their partnership grew into legend. More than nine titles with Beija-Flor. More than decades together. They have become the living standard of mestre-sala e porta-bandeira.

During the 2025 parade, Claudinho and Selminha paid tribute to Laíla, a moment full of weight and memory. Their steps across the Sapucaí were a dance of homage, each gesture offered with discipline and devotion. The flag, the gown, the eye-contact—all part of a silent conversation with the past.

In Selminha’s steady hands, the flag of Beija-Flor does not only cross the avenue, it carries the memory of a school, and the quiet promise of its future.

The Royalty of the Parade.

Selma de Mattos Rocha, known to all as Selminha Sorriso, has been Beija-Flor’s porta-bandeira since 1996. Before that, she began as a passista, her grace already visible, her discipline already marked. By 1991 she held the pavilion at Estácio de Sá, and the following year, alongside Claudinho, she danced to her first championship.

At Beija-Flor, her career became legacy. Nearly three decades of guarding the flag, across victories and defeats, always with the same calm precision. Her posture, her smile, and her gestures are recognized across the world of samba. To watch Selminha dance is to see both history and present time woven together.

In 2025, she carried the pavilion once more, this time in homage to Laíla. Every turn, every bow, held the weight of memory. And when the parade ended, it was clear that Selminha’s role is not only to protect the flag, but to embody Beija-Flor’s continuity — discipline, dignity, and joy held in one figure.