The Samba (or Mesemba) which means 'to Pray' is an Afro-Brazilian dance from Bahia, Brazil. Was considered the dance/ music of the slums with an estimated 4 million Africans who were forcibly moved to Brazil in it's slavery days.

    It is said to have been derived from the traditional Brazillian tap challenge dance called the Lundu, (by adding a ballroom hold and using the basic rhythm), The West African-Slaves, Portuguese songs and Indian rituals. When different body motions and carnival steps were added to the Lundu dance, it would be called the "Zemba Queca," which was described as "a graceful Brazilian dance" way back in 1885 and later became known as the Mesemba and finally mixing with the Maxixe during the 1900's became known as the Samba, but didn't gain any real recognition in the USA till around 1940 replacing the Boomps-A-Daisy dance from England.

There are different versions done today such as:

• Samba de umbigada (most authentic),
• Samba no Pé (main carnival type),
• Samba de Gafieira which is a type of 'Brazillian Tango' or Maxixe done to Samba music,
• The Pagode (partner) and Samba Rock (uses modern music). In 1976 during his tour of Brazil, Bill Haley met a rock group called Lee Jackson. This group mixed rock and roll   with samba music, creating "rock samba" [Format: 12" LP, Label: Copacabana, Catalog #: COLP12037 (Promo)].
• Carioca Samba, Hollywood's version.
• Baion or a Batucado = (AKA).
• Samba Syncopata (Carmen Miranda style)

The Samba was also nicknamed 'The South American Waltz' by the middle class in the late 1930's who liked a newer more sophisticated version, rather than the previous poor version that was then popular. The Bossa Nova (the new way), Lambada and Zouk is a variant of the Samba.

    The Maxixe (bresilien tango) was the first Brazilian folk dance to hit the states in the 1910s. Then came the Samba and by 1924 it found Europe. Historically, a Musician named "Donga" sang the first Carioca Samba titled "Pelo Telephone" in 1916 and is considered to be the first Carioca Samba song. The ballroom Samba was introduced to the States about 1917, however most early American Samba's were written as Two-Steps. It has been reported that Virginia Goletz, (Pasadena, CA), brought the "authentic Brazilian Samba" from Rio to the U.S. However, she probably more of "reintroduced it" to a few Californians.

    The samba is the main dance done at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Carnival is held Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday) since 1935, altho disguised as Candomblé to get around the ban, however, its roots go way back with the Saturnalias and Bacchanals (see Bacchus) of ancient times. The dance, party's, Samba Schools and music were outlawed in the late 1920's in Brazil, namely Rio until Brazillian president Getúlio Dornelles Vargas started using it in his radio campaigns and by 1936 the ban was lifted with restrictions on it's public presentations and schools (namely must include its country's history.)

Around 1939 Vargas was getting friendly with the United States and Carmen Miranda was about to hit the stage with Fred and Ginger introducing a "new dance"... a ballroom adaptation called "the Carioca" which was named after a small river in Rio de Janeiro became popular in the United States in 1933, although it was a Hollywood creation, with Astaire saying it was based on another dance in Rio, was choreographed by Fred Astaire for the movie "Flying Down to Rio."

    Today during Carnival (kar-knee-val) the samba is no longer danced as a couple dance in Brazil, but more a a stage and group performance with wildly beautiful, flamboyant and alot of sexy costumes, magnificent parade floats and lots of people. The dance usually consists of a "Long Quick-|-Short Quick-|-Slow" rhythm ("one_and-ah-two") done in 2/4, 4/4, 6/8 time with 2/4 being the main signature, done around 100+ bpm's and was said to be the bridge between the dignified forms of ballroom dances and Jitterbug (Chujoy - 1940s). Carnival today is heavily commercialized for tourists, but still holds a huge place for it's music, Singers, Dancers and musicians.

    The Batuque: during the Afro-Brazilian jam sessions the Batuque dancers form a circle around one performer. This solo dancer chooses his successor for the exhibition spot while shouting the word "sama." This dance is said to be connected to the Samba.