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‘Salve o samba, queremos samba!’*
Rule number one for anyone who’s willing to be a samba expert: smile. Yes, smiling is part of the lessons. A samba dancer’s soul is happiness itself. And learning to dance the samba is quite like learning to be happy. Maybe that’s the reason why people from all over the world come to Rio de Janeiro to know more about this rhythm.
Chinese Bo Yang attends Carlinho de Jesus dance school and never misses a class. “Samba is the national rhythm and it’s nice to learn a few things about Brazilian culture. By learning to dance the samba, I can feel more like a Rio citizen”. She’s always in companion of her Chinese girlfriends and looks quite familiar to the rhythm. “It’s a little hard at the beginning. Now, after all those classes, I find it easier. Either way, samba isn’t that strict, so you can dance it whichever way you choose”, she points us.
In fact, samba has its own ordering and technique. Professor, ballet dancer and choreographer Jaime Arôuxa, who owns a dance school that goes by the same name, says tourists usually think of samba as something quite flexible. “They think of our samba as a form of showing happiness quite in a confusing way, almost too lose. We try to teach them about all the motor skills necessary to dance the samba”.
Usually, what makes it difficult to beginners isn’t about making the right moves. Especially because those who already practice other dance rhythms, tend to easily learn how to follow the steps.
The hard part comes with not understanding the culture or the music. Foreigners can feel the samba, but they can’t get it. That’s why in classes, those from abroad first have to learn how to be Brazilian, smile more, lighten up and not to be so shy. “We can’t teach only the feet, so that’s why we teach the heart as well”, Jaime explains.
A mix of feeling and rhythm, samba’s been attracting more and more people. Attending classes has been an almost required activity for those who come to Rio de Janeiro. When dancing the samba, you learn another way to think of the rhythm itself, Rio’s soul way.
*TN – Part of Brazilian composer Zé Ketti’s famous song. Meaning “All hail samba, we want samba!”.
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