Samba de Gafieira

This style of dance evolved from the maxixe, which was the first urban dance that surged in Rio, in the second half of the 19th century. The maxixe, music and dance, was a mix of several influences, mainly the African lundu, the European polca. The name comes from the nightclubs of the time, known as gafieiras.

With the development of the samba style, that surged around 1920, the gafieira dance turned very popular in the 30’s and 40’s. The initial instrumentation of flute, mandolin, guitars, cavaquinho and percussion, evolved in the 30‘s to small and big band ensembles, typical in the swing era. Typically, but not limited to it, Samba de gafieira is danced to the sounds of these big bands playing samba instead of jazz.

Samba de gafieira, or simply gafieira is danced to the music styles of samba, choros and maxixes. Its style is characterized by tango-like choreography, where partners dance embraced together, and follow a series of typical steps.

Samba no pé

This is totally different style of samba dance, where partners dance separated. It is also danced without partners. Samba no pé was popularized in the typical carnival dance in Rio de Janeiro.