DANCE

Dance Styles

Bolero

The Bolero music originated in Spain in the 18th century. It was then developed in Cuba and Mexico in the 19th century.

In Brazil the dance is also known as "Bolero Carioca". "Carioca" is a person who is born in Rio de Janeiro.

This couple dance style started to emerge in Brazil in the 1940's when the sung boleros became popular worldwide. Movements from Tango and Waltz were taken to create a richer style of dance.

Today music styles such as the traditional boleros, ballads, bachatas and rumbas are used to dance Bolero.
It is seen as a romantic, smooth and very graceful dance style.

Tango

Tango originated in the 1890´s in the lower class districts of Buenos Aires. The popularity of tango rose and fell during the 1900´s. Due to the Great Depression and military dictatorships, its popularity dropped. The Government of Juan Peron reversed this decline and tango became a National pride.

Once again however, in the 1950´s the economic depression and Rock and Roll fever caused the popularity of tango to fall. Tango was kept at a minimum and was only danced in small venues around Buenos Aires.

In 1983, following the opening of the show "Tango Argentino" in Paris, created by Claudio Segovia and Hector Orezzoli, tango was revolutionized around the world and everyone started to take lessons. In 1990 the dance company "Tango X2" confirmed this worldwide popularity. After this, a group of Argentines (who were known as "Tango Investigation Group", and now known as "Cosmotango") started to add a more modern sound and new movements based on contact and improvisation to the traditional tango. This "Tango Nuevo" with its new features is appealing more to the new generations of tango dancers.

The musicality of tango is the most important element of the dance. The basic idea of the dance is taking your partner in an embrace and walking, using the music to guide your steps.
"A good dancer is one who makes you see the music".

Zouk (Lambada)

"Zouk", meaning "party" and lambada meaning "whip".

Lambada is a Brazilian dance style which became popular in the 1980"s. The origin of the dance is from the northern Brazil dance called "Carimbo".
Lambada became popular in Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil. There, the lambada was danced in the sand in front of the ocean for the local people showing the informality of this dance style. In 1989 the Brazilian musical group "Kaoma" recorded the hit "Lambada" which sold 5 million singles and became famous around the world.

The traditional lambada dance was very fast, sensual and provocative which made people a little intimidated. This with the decrease of the Brazilian music style of lambada caused the popularity to fade.
After 1994 the lambada dancers began to use different musical sources to practice the dance. Rhythms like flamenco and Arabian music were very popular at this time. Soon after, the music style "Zouk" was discovered with its slower paced rhythm and a sensual sound which matched perfectly with the dance. This combination allowed the dance style to be more accessible to those who may have been intimidated by the original pace.

Today "Zouk" music is used worldwide to dance lambada and is fast becoming a very popular dance style. With its sensual and graceful movements combined with strength and attitude, it is bound to become a party favourite!

Soltinho - Brazilian Swing

"Soltinho" meaning a little bit loose or released.

Soltinho was created in the 1940"s in Brazil after a famous actor "Oscarito" danced rock and roll in a Brazilian movie. People started to copy his dancing at parties and balls and "Soltinho" was born! This name was created by Maria Antonietta, the great master of all masters of Brazilian dance in Rio de Janeiro.

It is a dance style with a mix of jive, lindy-hop, swing and fox. It can be danced to many styles of music such as rock, fox or pop which makes it an easy style to dance at any party!

Soltinho is great fun for those who have always wanted to try rock and roll with a difference!

Samba

Samba de Gafieira

"Samba" is the dance and music style, and "Gafieira" is a place you go to dance it.

Samba is the most popular music style and one of the most popular dance styles in Brazil.

Samba de Gafieira is danced in couples to many different types of samba music including bossa nova, pagode, samba rock and chorinho. The dance style started in the 1930's in Rio de Janeiro and continues today throughout Brazil. After the 1980's, with the boom of dance schools around Rio de Janeiro the traditional samba de gafieira became influenced by some other dance styles.

Samba de Gafieira, like the music, has evolved into various styles of dance. We teach the most famous methodology in Rio de Janeiro and we believe in keeping as much authenticity and originality as possible in the dance style.

Our style of samba de gafieira is smooth, controlled and precise. Combining this with the cheeky playfulness of the samba music and a large emphasis on musicality, it is a real delight to dance!

Samba no Pé - Samba of the feet

This style of samba is what is seen in the Brazilian Carnaval which is held every year around February/March.

It is danced individually and uses lots of fast foot, leg and hip movements.

This energetic and playful dance style will get your heart racing and your body moving to the fantastic sounds of the samba drums!

Salsa

"Salsa" meaning "flavor".

In Havana, Cuba in the 1950's people danced 'Son' and other Cuban rhythms in the clubs and parties. It was only after 1973 when these styles arrived in north America that the name 'Salsa' was created. The salsa is a mix of Afro-caribbean styles like 'Bomba', 'Plena', 'Guaguancó', 'Tamborito', 'Murga', 'Merengue', and jazz.

These days it seems there is more emphasis placed on discussing whether you dance on '1', on '2', on '3', NY style, LA style, Cuban style etc rather than the importance of having fun with the movement in the music.

For us, Salsa is a fun dance with turns and cool body movements that are very grounded, groovy and sensual with an Afro feeling. We combine these ideas with some fantastic salsa music, add a Cuban touch and dance the night away!
We are not worried if you dance salsa in lines or in a circle… we just want you to understand the feeling the music gives you and the way it makes you want to move!

Forró

From the word "forrobodo"- meaning: fun, great party and commotion.

Forró originated from northeastern Brazil in the early 1900's.
It is probably the most popular dance style in Brazil today.

Forró is best described as a fun and cuddly dance style, and is suited for all ages.

Traditional forró is played with three instruments; accordion, zabumba (a type of drum) and a triangle (a metal one). None of these instruments require power, so the forró can be taken everywhere. The lyrics are usually about love, passion, sadness or homesickness.

There are four main styles of forró. "Baião"- the original and fairly fast paced, "Arrasta-pé"- the fastest of the four styles, "Xote"- a slower paced style, and "Universitario"- the most modern of the styles which also includes influences from rock and roll and salsa.

We teach a combination of these four styles of forró which allows people to get up and dance to any forró music playing at the party!