Discover the History and Major Styles of Samba Dance

Samba dance has a fascinating history of origin and overall development. It originated from the African peoples of Congo and Angola through the fusion of three dances starting from the 16th century, later mixing with Brazilian dances in the late 19th century, and became a popular dance in Europe in the mid-20th century.

Until 1914, the dance was known in Brazil as "Maxixe". In the 1920s-1930s, samba became one of the popular dance styles at Brazilian carnivals. Samba schools were established, competing among themselves in different samba styles during the carnival.

But it was only in 1924 that samba entered European ballrooms, and after World War II, it became one of the popular dances in Europe in the 1950s, thanks to the increased attention from Princess Margaret of Britain.

Later, one type of samba was included in the competitive ballroom dance program as a modern dance, danced in pairs.

Characteristic Features of the Style
Every dance has its characteristic movements that make it special and unique in its style. Samba is danced at a tempo of 50-52 beats per minute, setting a rhythm where all hip movements occur in springy twists, earning it the nickname "South American waltz".

Despite European processing and choreography, it still retains the spirit, rhythm, and movements of African peoples, resulting in new performance styles such as Macarena, Baion, Lambada, and others.

Varieties of Samba
Samba has several varieties, hence there are different Brazilian schools teaching specific styles of this dance.

1. Samba de Gafieira is a partner ballroom dance that includes acrobatic elements from rock and roll and Brazilian tango maxixe, originating in the 1940s.

2. Samba no Pé is a carnival, female solo dance performed at carnivals on the red car or in pairs but at a distance, standing in place.

3. Pagode is danced in pairs and is somewhat similar to Samba de Gafieira but without acrobatic elements, with partners holding close to each other; it originated as a separate samba style in the 1980s.

4. Samba de Roda is the oldest style of this dance, performed by a whole group forming a circle; women dance, men accompany, and one or two women may dance in the center; this style originates from the state of Bahia.

5. Samba Axé incorporates elements from aerobics with movements from Samba no Pé; it is danced solo or by a large group of women.