Learn to Dance the Polka Charlotte!
October 10, 2013Excercise Your Body, Mind, and Soul Through Dancing
November 4, 2013Celebration! This is what the Samba is all about. Rooted in African culture, Samba is a lively dance that is world-renown as a symbol of the Brazilian Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, where it is danced mostly solo.
Samba was first introduced in the early 1900s in Brazil and then introduced in the United States in the late 1930s.
Samba is danced to upbeat music with a tempo of about 100 beats per minute. Samba music uses strings (cavaquinho and guitar), percussion (tamborim), trombones, trumpets, flutes, and clarinets.
Samba is one of five International Style Latin ballroom dances, along with the Cha-Cha, Rumba, Paso Doble, and Jive. It is a dance that requires both coordination and speed.
The basic Samba movements consist of alternating forward and backward steps in the closed position using the Samba bounce motion. This gentle rhythmic action is felt through the knees and ankles. What makes the Samba particularly difficult is making this action look effortless and carefree, not exaggerated.
You can learn the Samba at the Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Charlotte and Lake Norman, NC.