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Samba is a hot ballroom dance from Brazil. Samba steps are energetic, full of sensuality, freedom and joy of life are manifested in them. Learn the history of samba and learn the basic steps of this dance by watching the tutorial video.

Sambais an extremely sensual type of Latin American dance that is associated primarily with the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Samba is the national dance of Brazil. Due to the extremely sensual nature and closeness of partners, samba is often referred to as the "dance of lovers".

  1. Samba - history of dance
  2. Samba - characteristics of a dance
  3. Samba - basic steps

Samba - history of dance

Samba probably comes from the "round dance" started by African Bantu tribes. Its creation dates back to the 16th century. She came to America with slaves. Its name comes from the African word "semba", which means a dance distinguished by rapid body movements along with beating the rhythm with the legs.

Samba is divided into folk samba - danced in groups, and social samba - danced in pairs. Along with rumba, cha-cha, paso doble and jive, samba belongs to one of the five types of Latin American dances.

Samba appeared in Europe in 1914, but the interest in it did not last long. In the 1940s, samba gained worldwide popularity as a ballroom dance. The renaissance of samba in Europe followed the Second World War. Its development based on European traditions has significantly changed samba, which makes it different from the one danced in Brazil.

Samba - characteristics of a dance

Sambais a fast 4/4 dance. Social samba has elements of urban and country samba. Thanks to this, it has a coquettish, effusive character and is distinguished by the forward and backward movement of the hips.

The samba movement resembles the undulation of partners. Dancers should move bouncingly (the so-called "bouncing movement"). This movement can be achieved by bending and straightening the knees. In order to increase the dynamics of the dance, the body is kept on the front part of the feet. Currently, tournament samba is danced in a circle.

There are several types of samba:

  • samba baiao- kept at a slow pace, around 30 bars per minute,
  • horo samba- has a moderate tempo, approximately 42 bars per minute,
  • samba de morro- fast samba, played at a tempo of approximately 54 bars per minute.

Samba pace in the range of 54-56 bars per minute for dance tournaments.

Worth knowing

Samba - the symbol of the Rio carnival

Samba dominated the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, making it a symbol of Brazil. The famous carnival, which is a tradition, takes place every year in Rio de Janeiro. It lasts for 5 days and 5 nights. During the carnival parade in Rio, you can enjoy a spectacular show and competition of samba schools in a place called the Sambodrom. 12 schools compete with each other in the special group. Each performance lasts 80 minutes and is judged by the judges.

Brazilians prepare for the carnival parade all year round. Months of hard work hide behind beautiful costumes, spectacular decorations and sensual dancing.

Samba - basic steps

Brazilian samba can be performed both in a group and by two partners. It is called the "lovers dance" because of its closeness and sensual character. Partners should be a short distance from each other. In the basic position, partner should hug partner with his right hand. There is also an open position where you only hold one hand.

Learn the basic steps of samba

The Basic Step starts with the right leg forward (partner) and the left leg backward (partner). Then the partner puts the left leg on the right, and the partner puts the right leg on the left. Then the man with his right foot and the woman with his left foot take a step in place. Later, the partner puts his left leg back, and the partner puts her right leg forward, then the partner puts her right leg to the left, her partner puts her left leg to the right, and finally the man with his left leg takes a step in place, and the woman with the right one does the same.

Important

Remember to perform samba hip movement with each movement, accompanied by a slight and soft knee bend (the aforementioned "bounce").

Characteristic figures for samba are: step in rotation, partner's turn at hand, whisk from left, whisk from right, samba walk, side samba walk, botafogos and volta.

There are two ways to dance in samba. The first is called the two-step samba and the second is called the three-step samba. The two-step samba is performed in basic moves at a slow pace, and the three-step samba in the basic moves at fast pace, and some advanced moves, types of fights and whisks.

This will be useful to you

Meet other types of dance:

  • Viennese w altz
  • argentinian tango
  • rumba
  • jazz
  • swing
  • rock and roll
  • cha-cha
  • hip-hop
  • breakdance
  • dancehall
  • pole dance (pole dance)
  • zumba
  • flamenco
  • bokwa
  • belly dance

7 reasons why you should dance

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Dance