Intermediate Samba Routine

The Samba is a sexy, lively Latin American dance from Brazil. The music is fun and exciting. The International-style Samba that has been formalized into ballroom dancing is not exactly the same as the authentic Samba you’ll find in Brazilian social dancing settings, but that doesn’t diminish the excitement of this dance.

A comprehensive two-hour program, your lessons are broken down into different parts to make it easier for you to learn. Within each video you’ll find chapter markers to let you jump directly to a specific step pattern.

The steps we cover in this routine are the same ones taught in the technical manuals used by dance teachers around the world. No matter where you travel in the world, dancers will be familiar with these patterns.

Samba is one of the more difficult Latin dances. This is primarily because it uses a total of eight different rhythms. For example, 1a2a3a4, or 1a2 3a4, or Slow Quick Quick, and so on. Some figures are even more challenging, with awkward 3/4 1/2 3/4 timing that is exceptionally difficult to master. For this routine we have picked the most common step patterns, and most of these utilize the 1a2 timing to simplify the learning process.

Normally we don’t recommend routines for learning a dance. Instead, we focus on “groups” of step patterns. The reason is that when people learn a routine they quickly fall into a pattern where they only dance the routine the same way every time, which is not only boring but limits your ability to improvise and explore everything ballroom dancing represents. However, because so many aspects of Samba require a depth of understanding of lead and follow technique, we want you to be able to dance around the room and not waste years of your life getting to a place where you can just dance. So for this dance we have created a routine.

The routine takes you all the way around the dance floor, ending right at the very beginning where you started. We show you places where you can join up to earlier places in the routine in case you are uncomfortable with parts further along in the routine. That way you can learn comfortably in stages.

Throughout the video, we cover common issues that we see in teaching and in watching social dancers, providing useful insights to help you dance a more technically accurate and enjoyable Samba.

Main Features

Who is this course suited for?

• Anyone with basic Latin dance experience wanting to learn the Samba
• Those who have danced, maybe even for years, but with no formal training
• Those who learned some Samba but want more insight to different figures
• Those who want to be able to dance Samba around the floor in a routine

Samba Musicality Guide

Samba uses 2/4 timing, which means there are two beats to a musical “bar” or measure. Although we count in groups of 8 beats because the music is phrased that way, Samba officially counts as 12 12 12 12 etc rather than 12 34 56 78. However, we generally teach using the 8 counts as it’s easier for people to relate to. There are eight different Samba rhythms. Individual step patterns use one of these rhythms.

1. 1a2 This refers to one beat, 1/4 beat and 3/4 beat. Note that “a” in dance musicality always refers to 1/4 beat.
2. 12 This consists of two single beats and is counted as Slow Slow.
3. 1a2a1a2 This timing uses 3/4, 1/4, 3/4, 1/4, 3/4, 1/4 and finally a whole beat.
4. 123 This unusual timing uses 3/4 beat, then 1/2 beat, then 3/4 beat. It is extremely difficult. Fortunately you won’t find it in this routine.
5. SQQ This timing is measured as one beat, then half, half. It is often counted as 12and (the word “and” in dance musicality refers to 1/2 beat).
6. SQQQQQQ This timing uses one beat, then a series of half beat counts.
7. QQS Counted as 1and2, this timing consists of two half beats then a whole beat.
8. SSQQS Counted as one beat, one beat, 1/2, 1/2 and one beat or 121and2.