Samba

Samba originated in the late 19th Century and is a solo dance that is most often danced impromptu when samba music is played. The basic movement involves a straight body and a bending of one knee at a time. The dance simply follows the beat of the music and can go from average pace to very fast.  Men dance with the whole foot on the ground while women, often wearing heels, dance just on the balls of the foot.  Professionals may change the steps slightly, and often add various arm movements depending on the mood of the music.

The addictive rhythms that we know as Samba were born in Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world. Like most Brazilian music, this form of dance originated in the north-east region of Brazil called Bahia. This was where the Portuguese brought most of the black slaves, the majority of whom were from Angola and other areas of South West Africa, to their plantations. With the slaves, came rhythms and sounds that constitute so much of Brazil's music, and these same rhythms would be the origins of one of Brazil's most famous exports - Samba.


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Also around this time, indigenous dances were increasing in popularity among both the slaves and the settlers, much to the frustration of Portuguese authorities, who at one stage attempted to ban a few of them. Nevertheless, in the 1830's a composite dance was developed which combined the plait figures from these Negro dances and the body rolls and sways of the indigenous Lundu.

Around 1885, as more and more blacks headed south towards Rio de Janeiro, the dance was modified and began to be performed with the dancers holding each other in the European way (closed dance position). It was soon adopted by high society in Rio, and popularised as the Zemba Queca. Later it was modified again and called the Mesemba.
In the 1930s, a form of Samba called the Carioca was revived in the U.K and spread to the USA and was performed by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their first film together. In 1941, its popularity was boosted by performances by Carmen Miranda in her many films.

The Ballroom Samba, while maintaining elements of what the Brazilians consider the true Samba, was formalised in 1956 by Pierre Lavelle. Since then, various forms of Samba have been developed to fit the mood of modern music, these include: Samba Breque, Samba Gafeira, Samba Morro, Samba Batucada, Samba Choro, Samba Cancao, Samba Moderno, Samba Rock, Samba-Funk, Samba Reggae, Bossa Nova, Partido Alto, Toada, Rasta Pe, Xote, Afoxe, Maracatu, Marcha, Marcha Rancho, Baiao, Caterete, Xaxado, Blues, Chorinho, and of course the Samba that defines the Carnivale in Rio de Janeiro - Samba Enredo.

With so many forms and variations, it is the combination of African, Native Indian and even Iberian influences that is so often found in the heavily populated coastal areas of Brazil that make Samba such a unique genre of music.