Rio is and always has been a highly cultured city. The high population density and rich ethnic mix has given shape to all forms of artistic expression, which is evident in the music, dance and lifestyle of the Cariocas (Rio's residents) - especially during Carnival. There are many cultural centres, art galleries and performance venues in Rio, hosting an ever-changing series of events. The Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rua Primeiro de Março 66, Centro (tel: (21) 3808 2020; website: www.bb.com.br/cultura), is one of the city's prime venues for music, plays, exhibitions and films.

The Rio Show magazine in the Friday edition of the O Globo newspaper (website: www.globo.com) has weekly cultural listings. Tickets are available from the venue box offices and, for some events, through Ticketmaster (tel: (11) 6846 6000 or 0300 789 6846 (Brazil only); website: www.ticketmaster.com.br).

Music: The Brazilian Symphony Orchestra (tel: (21) 2142 5800; website: www.osb.com.br) is based in Rio, performing at various venues in the city. The Theatro Municipal, Praça Floriano, Centro (tel: (21) 2299 1711; website: www.theatromunicipal.rj.gov.br), which has its own resident orchestra, is the main venue for classical concerts and operas.

Theatre: Rio has over 60 theatres, cultural centres, museums and cafes designated as spaces for the performing arts. Venues include the 200-seater Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Avenida Rio Branco 199, Centro (tel: (21) 2240 0068; website: www.mnba.gov.br), which stages classic performances, the Maison de France, Avenida Carlos 58, Centro (tel: (21) 2544 2533; website: www.teatromaisondefrance.com.br), offering contemporary shows; and the Theatro Municipal (see Music above), staging both contemporary and classic fare. Theatre is generally staged in Portuguese, with very little in English.

Dance: Rio's ballet company, Ballet do Theatro Municipal, is based at the Theatro Municipal (see Music above). Samba is prevalent in the city. An elaborate Carnival-style samba show is performed daily from 2200 at Plataforma 1, Rua Adalberto Ferreira 32, Leblon (tel: (21) 2274 4022; website: www.plataforma1.com.br).

Film: Cariocas are ardent cinemagoers, whether they are watching Brazilian or foreign films. American and European films are released quickly and are screened in the original language with Portuguese subtitles. Mainstream cinemas are situated throughout the city, including Cinemark (website: www.cinemark.com.br), which has branches at Carioca Shopping (tel: (21) 3688 2340), Botafogo (tel: (21) 2237 9484) and Barra da Tijuca (tel: (21) 2494 5004). The arthouse cinema chain Estação (tel: (21) 2537 1112; website: www.estacaovirtual.com) shows an up-to-date selection of international films and has branches all over the city, including the Botafogo, Centro and Leme districts.

The most famous film set in Rio is probably the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers classic, Flying Down to Rio (1933), filmed in the Copacabana Palace Hotel. Bossa Nova (1999), with Antonio Fagundes, was set in Rio. Carlos Diegues' Orfeu (1999) and the 1959 Marcel Camus classic and award-winning Black Orpheus are both celluloid renderings of Vinicius De Moraes' play, which retells the Greek myth of Orpheus, set in the delirium of Rio's Carnival. More recently, a number of movies have explored the gritty reality of Rio's poorer districts, including the internationally acclaimed 2002 film Cidade de Deus (City of God). Rio-born director Walter Salles, who shot to fame with his beautiful film Central do Brasil (Brazil Central - 1998), had a worldwide hit in 2004 with The Motorcycle Diaries, recreating Che Guevara's South American journey.

Literary Notes: Brazilian literature remains largely untranslated into English. Two notable novelists who have enjoyed worldwide success are Jorge Amado and Rio-born Paulo Coelho. Coelho's The Alchemist (1988) is considered a modern classic. Works set in Rio include Blues For A Lost Childhood (1989) by Antonio Torres, which depicts the life of a journalist who makes it to the big city but discovers life there to be more akin to a living hell than heaven. Other Brazilian writers include Carlos Drummond, Luis Fernando, Verissimo and Ziraldo.