We all know very well how incendiary and very lively samba is born in the movements of professional dancers. This dance originated in Brazil, during the period of Spanish and Portuguese colonization. Since then, it has become a symbol of this country, a national treasure that every citizen is proud of. However, despite the fact that samba is a Latin American dance, its rhythm and manner of performance are fundamentally different from all the other more common counterparts.
A little history lesson
Around the 16th century, the Portuguese conquerors brought a huge number of slaves from Angola and Congo to the present territory of Brazil. Between their duties, black people performed their national dances called Batuque, Embolada and Catarete. The first of this list was so popular among the inhabitants of Africa that the European Inquisition officially banned it on their lands. During the dance, the partners touched each other with navels, and also performed movements in which the body and hips swayed.
The direct origin of the samba dance dates back to the 19th century, when a map of South America was more or less formed, and new steps were introduced into the African choreography, which were called copacabana. It was thanks to the fact that now it was possible not to touch your partner, but to perform simply energetic steps, the dance became popular with the aristocracy of Brazil. But in those days it was still called Zemba Queca, but it was performed almost like a modern samba.
A dance that has been dancing since the early days
Residents of Brazil begin to teach the basic steps and movements of their children since they only take their first steps. For girls, according to local Aborigines, such a training is extremely useful, as it allows you to keep your body in shape constantly. Young men are practicing their choreographic skills in order to conquer the audience, to make an explosive impression on others.
The most interesting thing is that Brazilians are happy to teach any tourist to dance to fiery rhythms and not to feel tired. Therefore, going to Brazil, take comfortable shoes and clothes with you and be prepared for the endless number of evenings that you spend learning all the wisdom of this incendiary dance.
World fame of Brazilian traditions
In the first half of the 20th century, Europe finally finds out what samba is. Dance is becoming popular in the UK, France. Since cinema is developing at the same time at the same time, actors in the frame begin to perform samba. For the first time, such a choreographic production can be seen in the film “That night in Rio de Janeiro”.
Seriously, the Europeans began to study this Brazilian tradition in the mid-50s, when the British princess Margaret showed her interest in samba . At that time, the dance finally migrated to a new continent, where it also received a certain updated interpretation. For example, the Boto Fogo movement is still in a quarter rhythm, but the Natural Rolls - already in half. Thus, the Brazilian samba dance is slowly gaining international standards, and everything goes to the point that it becomes part of the classics.
Varieties of samba, popular in our time
Today, this most famous Brazilian dance is performed almost all over the world. Not a single dance institution or school can do without teaching each of its client all the movements of Latin American choreography. On the native land, samba is performed in a slightly different version, which is faster and more common for Brazilians than for us and Europeans. For example, from such a Latin American dance, which is always sustained in a rhythm of 2/4 or 4/4, you can form a lambada or macarena. Well, interpretations such as Marco or Bayon are most often performed at the New Year's carnival in Rio de Janeiro, and they all differ in energy and high-speed performance technique. The classical version of this choreography is distinguished by more calm movements and measured steps, which, nevertheless, do not lag behind the pace of the music.
Brief description of dance movements
Samba, in whatever variation it may be performed, is always characterized by certain movements. First of all, this is a fairly amplitude swaying the hips to the beat with the music. The very nature of the dance is based on flirting, lightness and a very fast pace, in which you need to have time to move the pelvis. Many believe that such an action is indecent, but if you remove this playful element, then all that the viewer sees is ordinary sports dancing. Samba, though it gives the body a considerable physical load and trains all muscle groups, should also have its own aura, its secret meaning. Only in this case will it be so incendiary and attractive as we used to see it performed by professionals.