Renato Lage


Renato Rui de Souza Lage is a Brazilian carnival organizer with the Rio Carnival. He worked extensively with his wife, Márcia Lage.
He helped to develop high-tech technologies for usage in the design of carnival blocs for the Rio Carnival, particularly during the 1990s with his partnership with Lilian Rabello. He has been involved with the Rio Carnival since 1979, winning four titles in the Grupo Especial.

Biography

Lage was born on 21 May 1949 in Rio de Janeiro. He began to participate in carnivals in 1978 as a support member and chief of allegories with Salgueiro, then led by Fernando Pamplona. Beginning in 1979, he began his solo career with Unidos da Tijuca, with the group achieving their advancement to group 1B that year, with an enredo about Delmiro Gouveia, in homage to the visionary industrialist from Brazil's Northeast. Lage met Rabello leaving the Escola de Artes do Parque Lage and asked for her to work with him. They stayed with Tijuca until 1982. In 1983, Lage went with Rabello to Império Serrano, a traditional samba school based in the Madureira neighborhood.
In his first year as a carnival organizer with Império Serrano, he developed costumes and allegories for the enredo by Fernando Pamplona "Mãe, Baiana Mãe", developed and researched by Rabello, about the traditional habits of people from the state of Bahia. The enredo also gained media attention and attention by the public in general for the way in which the daily routine of the senhoras of samba were portrayed. Starting in 1985, he began develop the enredos created and developed by Rabello, forming a duo. Lage would remain with Império until 1986. In 1987, he returned to Salgueiro, where he would develop the carnival bloc for the enredo "E por quê não?", authored by Rabello, becoming a precursor to the bold artistic style that would consecrate them years later with Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel. The following year, Lage and Rabello would transfer over to Caprichosos, making two more enredos with Rabello.
In 1990, Castor de Andrade returned to Mocidade after two years and started a plan to reformulate the school based out of Padre Miguel. This came after a period in which they dealt with bad results and the loss of one of their biggest names, Fernando Pinto, due to an automobile accident. Andrade invited Lage and Rabello, along with set designer and television director Maurício Sherman to develop an enredo about the turning of the decade. The unfolding of events, along with the strong expectations that came with the return of Andrade to the school, made the enredo symbolically not just about the turn of the decade but of the return of Mocidade, which intended to start the 1990s renewed and on a strong note. To that end, Sherman was dismissed and Lage and Rabello gave a start to the conception of that year's winning enredo, "Vira-Virou, a Mocidade Chegou". The enredo was a profound look back at the school's past, recounting moments from its inception by members of a football team, Independente Futebol Clube, them winning their first title, their legendary bateria, memorable blocs and their biggest names, such as Arlindo Rodrigues and Fernando Pinto, along with the unforgettable Mestre André. They were also known for their participations with Mocidade in the carnivals of 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2002.
In 2003, Lage returned to Salgueiro in time for its 50-year anniversary. In 2007, Lage worked simultaneously in two samba schools, with both Salgueiro and with the commission for Império de Casa Verde, in São Paulo, together with his wife Márcia Lage and other members.
In 2008, he repeated the feat, but this time working for Império Serrano, becoming the champions for Grupo de acesso A, along with being the vice-champion in the Special Group along with Salgueiro. In 2009, Salgueiro won the competition with the enredo "Tambor", becoming the most memorable performance at Sapucaí and the school was successful by the public and critically. In 2011, he made an enredo about cinema in Rio de Janeiro, having made giant designs such as a replica of King Kong at Central do Brasil metro station. The bloc proved to be difficult to work on in terms of the harmony and delayed the launching of the bloc. In 2012, he had another dual performance as along with Salgueiro, Lage also became a carnival organizer with Império da Zona Norte, reaching third place for the Porto Alegre-based school. In 2013, he made the enredo "Fama", earning 4th place. He later would become vice-champion, in a partnership with his wife Márcia Lage for the enredo "Gaia, a vida em nossas mãos".
In 2016, he would repeat the partnership with Márcia, developing with her the bloc for Vai-Vai, along with remaining in Salgueiro. He continued working with his wife for two years after with Grande Rio. In 2019, they were hired by Portela going into Carnival 2020. The year after, they developed the enredo "Guajupiá, Terra Sem Males" for the historic samba school. The bloc was corrected and without setbacks, but the school came in a disappointing seventh place, frustrating those who were awaiting a better result. Even with that, the Lages continued with Portela for 2021 and had announced the theme: Igi Osé Baobá, which told the story of and portrayed the symbology of the baobabs, giant, long-living trees originating in Africa. They came in 5th place. They would be contracted again for 2022, but Portela would come in 10th place. They would be released from Portela after a mutual agreement was made.

Carnivals

Listed below are the carnival blocs designed by Lage:
YearSchoolPlaceDivisionEnredo
1980Unidos da TijucaChampionGrupo 1-BDelmiro Gouveia
1981Unidos da Tijuca8th placeGrupo 1-AMacobeba – O que dá pra rir, dá pra chorar
1982Unidos da Tijuca9th placeGrupo 1-ALima Barreto – Mulato pobre, mas livre
1983Império Serrano3rd placeGrupo 1-AMãe, baiana mãe
1984Império SerranoVice-championGrupo 1-AFoi Malandro é
1985Império Serrano7th placeGrupo 1-ASamba, Suor e Cerveja, o combustível da ilusão
1986Império Serrano3rd placeGrupo 1-AEu Quero
1987Salgueiro5th placeGrupo 1E por que não?
1988Caprichosos8th placeGrupo 1Luz, Câmera e Ação
1989Caprichosos12th placeGrupo 1O que é bom todo mundo gosta
1990MocidadeChampionEspecial RJVira virou, a Mocidade chegou
1991MocidadeChampionEspecial RJChuê, Chuá, as águas vão rolar
1992MocidadeVice-championEspecial RJSonhar não custa nada ou quase nada
1993Mocidade4th placeEspecial RJMarraio, feridô sou rei
1994Mocidade8th placeEspecial RJAvenida Brasil, tudo passa, quem não viu?
1995Mocidade4th placeEspecial RJPadre Miguel: olhai por nós!
1996MocidadeChampionEspecial RJCriador e Criatura
1997MocidadeVice-championEspecial RJDe Corpo e Alma na avenida
1998Mocidade6th placeEspecial RJBrilha no céu a estrela que me faz sonhar
1999Mocidade4th placeEspecial RJVilla-Lobos e a apoteose brasileira
2000Mocidade4th placeEspecial RJVerde, Amarelo, Azul-Anil colorem o Brasil no ano 2000
2001Mocidade7th placeEspecial RJPaz e Harmonia, Mocidade é alegria
2002Mocidade4th placeEspecial RJO Grande Circo Místico
2003Salgueiro7th placeEspecial RJSalgueiro, minha paixão, minha raiz – 50 anos de glórias
2004Salgueiro6th placeEspecial RJA cana que aqui se planta, tudo dá, até energia... Álcool, o combustível do futuro
2005Salgueiro5th placeEspecial RJDo fogo que ilumina a vida, Salgueiro é chama que não se apaga
2006Salgueiro11th placeEspecial RJMicrocosmos: o que os olhos não veem, o coração sente
2007Salgueiro7th placeEspecial RJCandaces
2007Império de Casa Verde5th placeEspecial SPGlórias e Conquistas – A Força do Império está no salto do Tigre
2008SalgueiroVice-championEspecialO Rio de Janeiro continua sendo...
2008Império SerranoChampionGrupo ATaí, eu fiz tudo para você gostar de mim
2009SalgueiroChampionEspecial RJTambor!
2010Salgueiro5th placeEspecial RJHistórias sem fim
2011Salgueiro5th placeEspecial RJSalgueiro Apresenta: o Rio no Cinema
2012SalgueiroVice-championEspecial RJCordel branco e encarnado
2012Império da Zona Norte3rd placeEspecial O Império contra-ataca
2013Salgueiro5th placeEspecial RJFama
[Results of the Results of the 2014 Rio Carnival|2014 Rio Carnival|2014]SalgueiroVice-championEspecial RJGaia – A vida em nossas mãos
[Results of the Results of the 2015 Rio Carnival|2015 Rio Carnival|2015]SalgueiroVice-championEspecial RJDo Fundo do Quintal, Saberes e Sabores na Sapucaí
2016Salgueiro4th placeEspecial RJA Ópera dos Malandros
2016Vai-Vai4th placeEspecial SPJe Suis Vai-Vai – Bem-vindos à França
2017Salgueiro3rd placeEspecial RJA Divina Comédia Do Carnaval
2018Grande Rio12th placeEspecial RJVai para o trono ou não vai?
2019Grande Rio9th placeEspecial RJQuem nunca...? Que atire a primeira pedra
2020Portela7th placeEspecial RJGuajupiá, Terra sem Males
2022Portela5th placeEspecial RJIgi Osè Baobá
2023Portela10th placeEspecial RJO azul que vem do infinito
2025MocidadeEspecial RJVoltando para o futuro – Não há limites pra sonhar
2026Mocidade

Awards

Gold Standard
  1. 1981 – Best enredo
  2. 1995 – Best enredo
  3. 1996 – Best enredo
  4. 1999 – Best enredo
  5. 2002 – Personality
  6. 2006 – Best enredo
  7. 2009 – Best enredo
  8. 2013 – Best enredo
  9. 2016 – Best enredo Star of the Carnaval
  10. 2009 – Best carnival organizer
  11. 2009 – Best group of costumes
  12. 2011 – Best group of allegories
  13. 2013 – Best group of costumes
  14. 2014 – Best group of costumes
  15. 2015 – Best group of costumes
  16. 2016 – Best enredo Silver Cat
  17. 2011 – Best enredo
  18. 2015 – Best carnival organizer Plumas & Paetês Cultural
  19. 2009 – Best carnival organizer
  20. 2011 – Best designer
  21. 2012 – Best carnival organizer 100% Carnaval Award
  22. 2022 – Best group of costumes Veja Rio Award
  23. 2014 – Best allegory S@mba-Net
  24. 2007 – Special prize
  25. 2022 – Best group of costumes Tamborim de Ouro
  26. 1999 – Best group of allegories
  27. 1999 – Best group of costumes
  28. 2000 – Beleza de Mensagem
  29. 2001 – Beleza de Mensagem
  30. 2014 – Enredo Maravilha
  31. 2014 – Best group of allegories Andarilho do Samba Trophy
  32. 2008 – Best enredo Jorge Lafond Trophy
  33. 2008 – Best enredo Manchete Trophy – Papa-Tudo
  34. 1996 – Best carnival organizer
  35. 1998 – Best carnival organizer
  36. 1998 – Best enredo Sambario Trophy
  37. 2009 – Best enredo
  38. 2011 – Best allegory Tupi Carnaval Total Trophy
  39. 2011 – Best carnival organizer
  40. 2022 – Best group of costumes