Cha Cha Cha Dance Academy

International Ballroom > Latin

As a ballroom dance, the samba is a partner dance.

Ballroom samba, like other ballroom dances, is very disconnected from the origins and evolution of the music and dance that gives it its name. It is a form created for its suitability as a partner dance. The dance movements, which do not change depending on the style of samba music being played, borrows some movements from Afro-Brazilian traditional dances such those used in candomblé rituals and the chamadas of capoeira angola.

The ballroom Samba is danced to music in 2/4 or 4/4 time. The basic movements are counted either 1-2 or 1-a-2, and are danced with a slight downward bouncing or dropping action. This action is created through the bending and straightening of the knees, with bending occurring on the beats of 1 and 2, and the straightening occurring on the “a”. Samba is notable for its constantly changing rhythms however, with cross-rhythms being a common feature.

The ballroom Samba is danced under several different rhythms, including the original Samba music. It is also very common to dance ballroom samba with flamenco, fast Cha-Cha-Cha, and other South American rhythms.