Ala das baianas is the Portuguese name for the women’s traditional section in a Rio samba-school parade.
The term literally means “the baianas’ wing” or “section of women from Bahia.” Its members traditionally wear large, circular skirts, blouses, shawls, and head coverings inspired by Bahian clothing and Afro-Brazilian cultural traditions. The rotating skirts create one of the parade’s most recognizable visual images.
The section has historical links to women from Bahia who helped preserve samba traditions in Rio during the early development of the genre and samba schools. Its presence is ceremonial as well as competitive, representing continuity and ancestry within the school.
Ala das baianas is not the same as the comissão de frente, which opens a school’s presentation, or the bateria, which supplies percussion. “Ala” means a parade section, so the phrase identifies a specific group rather than an individual performer.