Brazilian dances, their history and traditions

Brazil - a country of contrasts, in which the culture and traditions of diverse peoples are mixed. Brazil is also the birthplace of carnival, the realm of incendiary rhythms. The annual holiday, which takes place in Rio, clearly confirms what has been said. Brazil is an amazing and unique country.

It was a colony of Portuguese from 1500 to 1822. African slaves were brought here from Angola. Once in Brazil, African slaves did not accept Christianity. They remained fans of their religion and their traditions. They managed to keep the secret rhythms of samba. They combined it with other musical forms. As a result, with the passage of time, new Brazilian dances and new musical genres emerged .

In 1888 there were schools for teaching dance samba. First, the Brazilians of the upper class considered samba an unsuitable and indecent dance. In 1917 she was introduced to the public at the carnival. In 1920 the popularity of the dance grew and eventually gained international recognition as a musical genre and as a form of dance.

Now consider the Brazilian dances, the names of which are presented below.

Samba is a carnival dance that was invented in Rio in the early 20th century. In her music, African and European rhythms merged. Dance movements are mostly African. But they are heavily modified on Brazilian soil. Samba can dance without stopping. Women can perform it on a platform or on a heel.

Maracatu is a traditional dance that originated from Pernambuco State in the northeast of Brazil. It refers to dances of African descent, which are accompanied by drums and noise instruments. He is executed barefoot or in sandals, accompanied by drums, beating off a special rhythm - a maracat.

Brazilian dances under the general name "samba-reggae" appeared in the 70s of the XX century in the state of Bahia, which is located in the northeast of Brazil. In the music of this dance mixed Cuban rhythms, reggae and Brazilian samba. Dance elements are borrowed from religious Afro-Brazilian ceremonies. This is a group dance, which is the main dance of the carnival in El Salvador.

Samba di Roda is the dance of a Brazilian girl, which has long become a tradition in this country. Its essence lies in the fact that only one soloist performs the technical part. The rest of the carnival participants stand in a circle, as though purposely paying attention to the main dancer.

Brazilian dancing is unthinkable without Carimbo. In this action, which has long been recognized as folk, there are not only Portuguese, but also Spanish, as well as African motifs. It is a sensual dance in which a woman tries to embrace a man with a skirt. Sometimes a woman throws her handkerchief on the floor, and her partner should get it by mouth.

Under the influence of more modern rhythms a new dance appeared - Lambada. It is like a wave, which is created by the movements of the bodies of dancers.

Lundu or Lundum is a dance that brought African slaves. The main musical accompaniment for him is a guitar, a piano and a drum. Also for the performance of this dance are used a handkerchief, castanets and bones, which are supported by fingers.

Brazilian dances are the most popular in the whole world. They constitute an indispensable part of Latin American culture.