Samba, also known as the Brazilian Waltz, is one of the most fun and popular dances in the world. It’s energetic, flirtatious, and passionate, characterized by its bounce and sensual hip movements. Samba is not as difficult to learn as it may seem, the basic moves are actually very easy. In this article we’ll take a look at some historical facts about samba.
Samba originated in Brazil and was the result of African slaves, who was imported by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, bringing their music and dances with them. Samba evolved over the years from the African slave dance forms and music.
Samba took a few hundred years to slowly develop into a form that would be recognized today. Today, it is a national symbol of Brazil, however, the original form that is danced in Brazil is a solo dance and is quite different to what we see in North American and European ballrooms.
In the US and Europe samba developed into a partner dance. It was standardized as a ballroom dance in 1956 by Pierre Lavelle. The ballroom samba retained many original movements, but is quite considerably different that the solo Brazil version.
Over the years various forms of samba have been developed. You have samba de roda, samba reggae, samba pagode, samba batucada, samba no pe, and, of course, ballroom samba just to name a few. The ballroom samba is the most modified version.
The ballroom samba is the most easy to learn. It is danced to a music written in 2/4 time, with 3 steps per measure. This means that every two beats of music has three steps. The basic rhythm is 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6, 7 & 8 (usually you count to eight beats and then repeat). Basic samba step is a simple box step.
Samba is certainly one of the most fun and lively ballroom dances around. Today, it’s danced throughout the world and enjoyed by people from all walks of life.
Samba is not as hard as it looks, especially ballroom version. To learn samba take a look at samba dancing videos and start learning.
