Our Next Dance Will Be on Saturday, December 14th, and Will Feature the Multi-Rhythmic Samba
“But Then There’s Samba”
The Latin dances we do at StarDusters such as Swing, Rumba and Cha Cha are danced to music with fairly clear rhythms that evoke a fairly simple basic step. Even someone new to dancing would think, “This basic step really fits the music”. But then there’s Samba.
It’s All About the Bounce
Samba has multiple rhythms, all playing simultaneously. A social dancer, unfamiliar with Samba, who hears these rhythms, may hear a West Coast Swing, or a Hustle or a Salsa, but probably won’t hear a Samba basic step because the rhythm is just too complex. For Samba, there’s no “basic step” that captures the rhythm. But there is a basic movement that does. It’s called the Samba Bounce. Learning the Samba Bounce allows you to get your entire body synchronized to all the seductive rhythms in Samba music.
And it’s worth learning because this rhythm is fast, seductive and compelling. Pop music stars have incorporated it in some of the best dance music of all time. Think of the Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive”, or Elvis Presley’s “Latest Flame” or the classic “Macarena”. You can’t help but move to these songs, it’s just a question of how.
The answer is to get introduced to the basics of Samba, including the Samba Bounce, at our December 14th dance. Making complex movements accessible to social dancers is what great teachers can do. We’re happy to bring you such a teacher in Anne Haberern.
