Samba The word “samba” is believed to be derived from the word semba, a Kimbundu term, which translates to an “invitation to dance”. The word was also a shared title of dance parties held by slaves in rural areas of Rio. Starting around 1550, the Portugese began trading slaves from the West African and Central African regions of Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Angola, Congo, and Mozambique (Lyons). According to Lyons, Brazil holds an estimated 90 million people of Black origin. The Africans’ cultural traditions eventually merged with Portuguese’s cultural traditions and formed a unique culture of its own. In the 16th century African slaves began to introduce cultural dances such as the Caterere, the Embolada, the Batuque, and the Lundu to name a few. …show more content…
In their article “Character and Origin of Samba”, Dwain and Judy Sechrist explain: Ballroom Samba is danced to music in 2/4 or 4/4 time. In 2/4 time, the basic movements are counted either 1, 2, consisting of two steps, each using 1 beat [SS]; or three steps counted 1a, 2, [SaS] with beat values of 3/4, 1/4, and 1. Additional rhythm structures may be used, such as 1, 1/2, 1/2 [SQQ]; 1/2, 1/2, 1/2, 1/2 [QQQQ]; and 3/4, 1/2, 3/4 [123]. Most Samba movements require two measures to complete a rhythmic structure in 2/4 time. For this reason, many movements lend themselves to descriptions as if using one measure in 4/4 time (Dixie Round Dance Council Newsletter). Starting in the 1920s and leading into the 1930s, sambas were not as fast-paced and more romantic in composition. This lead to the creation of a sub-genre known as samba-canção, which accentuated melody over rhythm. Samba-canção began to lose its popularity in the early 1950s; therefore, a more percussive and trendier sub-genre began to cultivate in the poor areas. At first called samba de morro because of its development in the morros (hills), the style came to be known as samba-de-batucada, and emphasized the polyrhythmic sounds of multiple percussion instruments (Sambassadors of …show more content…
“The Message of Brazilian Rituals: Popular Celebrations and Carnival.” Brazil: Body and Soul, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York, 2001, pp. 46–51. “History of Samba.” Sambassadors, www.sambassadorsofgroove.org.uk/history-of-samba.html. Kellen, Ron, and Rebecca Kellen. “Samba History.” Dance Lovers, Dance Lovers, www.dancelovers.com/samba_history.html. Lyons, Lauri. “Afro-Brazilian History, Beats and Culture.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Feb. 2010, www.huffingtonpost.com/lauri-lyons/afro-brazilian-history-be_b_452877.html. Sechrist, Dwain, and Judy Sechrist. “Character and Origin of Samba.” Character and Origin of Samba, Dixie Round Dance Council (DRDC) Newsletter, Nov. 2009,
We must begin with Brazil’s history in order to understand the problem and how it came to exist. During the year 1500, Brazil was “discovered” by the Portuguese. The Portuguese saw the indigenous people as “savages” because they did not look or dress like Europeans. Hence, the idea that indigenous people are “savages” help influence the Portuguese that indigenous people need to be controlled and become more civilized. During the 16th century the Portuguese used “black” slaves to work in plantations to increase trading in Europe. After the year 1850 slave trade was abolished, but the Portuguese continued to bring slaves from Africa, illegally. Edward Eric Telles states, “Roughly three hundred years later, when the slave trade ended in 1850, 3.6 million African Americans had been brought to Brazil as slaves, ...
Evidence of African roots are identifiable throughout Brazil. Brazil is the second most populated country of Blacks. Many different tones from mulatto to caboclo to black are present with culture that has flourished since African slaves first arrived to the country. The slaves that came to South America, brought their religion, gods, and music along with them, giving Brazil a cultural identity and a place among other nations. The profits of African slavery have allowed Brazil to gain capital and build a government based mainly on sugar exports. Although Brazil was the first to claim themselves free of racism, throughout history they often put slaves in even worse conditions than the US. Easy accessibility to import African slaves, meant that
As a result, Brazil's population is intermingled to a degree that is unseen elsewhere. Most Brazilians possess some combination of European, African, Amerindian, Asian, and...
During the African diaspora to Brazil (1520-1888), slaves brought their music, dance, habits together. Their spirituality was not forgotten and one of its representations can be seen at Candomblé. This is a polytheist religion of oral tradition and has as theological basis the forces of nature, called Orixás or Saints (in Portuguese: Santos). Each Orixá represents a natural phenomenon or place.
Walsh, Robert, Notices of Brazil in 1828 and 1829 (1831). "Aboard a Slave Ship, 1829," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2000).
The film touches on the history of Palmares as a community of resistance to the oppressive institution of slavery in Brazil. Quilombos provides the viewer with a window into the life of someone living in Palmares during the 17th century. Today, the community of Palmares is a symbol for the continued resistance by Afro-Brazilians against slavery as well as an active choice for freedom and equality in Brazil. Palmares, even at its end, became an inspiration for other quilombo communities, not only because it was one of the first, but because of the strength and duration of the fight it put up against the Portuguese. Palmares represented tolerance and harmony for Africans, and still is an inspiration to Brazilians today. The film presents a historical context for Palmares’ social, political and religious preservation of African culture, as well as an analysis of this context for the purpose of understanding Palmares’ role in Brazilian history. Quilombos not only unveils the political and social structure of Palmares but also its place as a resistance to slavery and racial oppression. Palmares’ internal structure resembled that of African Kingdoms in that it was a version of a confederacy with a ruler presiding over the community. Palmares made its mark in Brazilian history as one of the earliest and largest quilombos, able to
During the 15th century to the 19th century according to Wilson Aravjo Silva, “9 Million sub-Sahoron Africans were brought to the Americas as slaves; about 40% of them were probably brought to Brazil (Klein 2002). This forced migration to have a tragic impact on some African societies and determined that part of the history of Africans began to be written outside Africa.”
The mass of almost one hundred thousand is edgy. The night is hot, humid, and alive with a feeling in the air so palpable you can almost trace it with your finger. The bleachers are filled to maximum capacity, along a mile-long stretch of paved roadway adjacent to an old brewery. People from all races, classes, and countries are celebrating together at the culmination of the orgiastic, pre-Lenten, hedonistic festival of Carnival. Soon, the first marchers proceed down the corridor to the booming cacophony of bass, snare, and friction drums. The rattling of tambourines, bells, and scrapers add flavor and accent. Like a bird set free, the singing cavaquinho (ukulele) emits its high pitched cries, adding to the frenzy. The marchers and dancers, with their quick, physical movements, undulating hips and heel steps, embody the living sound. It is time for the annual celebration once again in Brazil, time for Carnival, a time once again for the ultimate physical expression of joy: Samba.
The Bantu groups are believed to have been the foundation for the birth of capoeira. They brought with them their culture; a culture that was not stored in books and museums but in the body, mind, heart and soul. A culture that was transmitted from father to son, throughout generations. There was candomble', a religion; the berimbau, a musical instrument; vatapa, a food; and many other things.
Veloso, Caetano, and Barbara Einzig. Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2003. Print.
Capoeira is a Brazilian battle dance, a national sport, a system of physical discipline and movement originating among Brazilian slaves. The origin of Capoeira, whether African or Brazilian, has stimulated many controversies up until the current day. There are no doubts that the Capoeira proper was developed in Brazil, however no one denies that Capoeira was created by African slaves based on African Traditions. Even the most important mestres such as Bimba and Pastinha, had varying ideas of its “beginning”. Muniz Sodré, a credible journalist, sociologist, and professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro explains, “The question about the “beginning” is in a certain sense a meaningless problem. What matters most is not the “beginning” (the date and so forth do not matter so much), but the “principle”: the conditions that created and kept the thing alive” (Capoeira 108). The most significant matters were the historical and cultural issues that for a long
During the Renaissance Era musical instruments were used primarily to accompany dance. The most famous court dance style in the Renaissance Era was the basse danse, where couples would gracefully and quietly move across the dance floor. The couples used a gliding motion as they gracefully moved across the floor. This style was popular in the 15th and 16th centuries. Another famous style is the Calata, a 16th century Italian line dance in the measure of 3/4. With this style, couples would move across the floor using quick and elaborate movements. The last style which will be covered in our program is the ronde, also famous in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries, the ronde took place outdoors and participants moved in a circular pattern.
It maybe hard to believe but during the turn of the 19th century, dance competitors were content in winning a CAKE! The Cakewalk dance as how it came to be known in history initially drew in American black slaves as participants “often in the presence of their masters.” It has been said that “some of the better plantation owners would bake a special cake called a hoecake wrapped in cabbage leaf on Sundays and invite the neighbors over and have a contest of the slaves,” according to the popular dance website, streetswing.com. “Different prizes were given but originally it was a Hoecake for the males and molasses pulled candy for the ladies and whichever slave(s) won, would get the cake!”
The word tango is most likely from African origin and referred to popular music and dance celebrations that the slaves performed throughout the Caribbean and Atlantic coastal regions. The genre overlapped with milonga, candombe and the Cuban habanera. During the 20th century, around the time that the urbanized samba emerged in Brazil, the tango emerged as an independent dance genre. The rioplatense tango arose in poverty stricken areas known as arrabeles in the outskirts of Buenos Aires and Montevido. The compadrito was a quintessential early figure that emerged out of the arrabales; his dress and behavior mocked the elite, posing as an arrogant bully. He blended gaucho and immigrant characteristics and spoke lunfardo (a dialect with references to the criminal underworold). Most people considered him vulgar and disreputable but many secretly admired his provocative sensuality. The first stage of tango history is known as Guardia Vieja and lasted until 1920. During the period, the tango emerged as a genre of instrumental music based on a three-part form with different sections. The Guardia Veja ensembles had one violin, flute, guitar, and bandoneón (an accordion-like instrument of German origin associated with the tango that is also used in contemporary traditional music ensembles. It has 38 buttons in the upper and middle registers and 33 buttons in the lower register. What is argued to be the most famous tango ever written was “La cumparsita” (“The Little Carnival Procession”) by Gerardo Matos Rodriguez in 1917. Early tangos used rhythms related to the habanera and milonga in duple meter, but bandleaders began to slow the tempo and adopted a quadruple meter with sharp accents during the 1910s. The marcato and sincopa characterize...
Dance is an ancient human practice, however the earliest record of human dance remains a mystery. By