Brazilian Dances

There are many types of Brazilian dances, but however when you hear about Brazilian dances, you most likely imagine Samba.

Samba is a Brazilian dance developed in the 19^th century. There are many varieties of Samba dances, as well as Samba music. There are ballroom Samba and solo Samba. In Brazil it is more often solo as it is very popular during the Carnival in Rio. Samba dancer is referred to as Sambista.

Ballroom Samba is one of the popular dances in the ballroom competition. Samba is characterized by a fast footwork and swaying motions of the partners.

Samba music with its distinctive rhythm is performed by original Brazilian musical instruments. This energetic rhythm very often encourages spontaneous dancing, such as in the streets during a Carnival in Rio.

Capoeira

Capoeira is another important Brazilian dance. It was originated in Brazil by African slaves, though there are a lot of controversies according to the history of the dance. The dancers usually form a circle and then take turns to perform in the center.

Lundu

The dance is also believed to be originated by African slaves. But it’s somewhat different from Capoeira. Castanets and handkerchiefs are used during the performance of the dance.

Carimbo and Lambada

This folk dance was originated under the influence of Portuguese, Africxan and European people.It is a sensitive performance, where the woman tries to cover the man with her skirt. The dance is also characterized by wave-like body movements.

Forro

There a number of variations of this dance especially in different regions of Brazil. The difficulty of the dance is that the dancer together with the partners should move in synchronization and perform very complex steps. Accordion is used for accompaniment.

Soltinho

The steps of the dance were borrowed from different Brazilian music and dances, as well as from jive, rock and swing. It is considered to be a new dance in Brazil, but it has already become a popular one.

Bolero

The dance was very much influenced by tango. It is a slow and very romantic dance.