The Samba. It's not so much the steps but that elusive body tick, plus the changes in rythm. I have on tape a comment that pointed out that this couple had three changes in rythm in six bars of music. Anothe final where the comment was made, he had better watch his timing. At this point in time I still can't pick the mistake. And added to that is it is necessary to keep to an eight bar phrasing. Does anybody out there have this dance as their favourite.

Yes, Samba is one of my favorites.
I am still working on the solid basics of a volta, bota fogo, cruzado locks, and a good promanade run.

The promanade runs seem to have a variety of timing 123, 1a2, and SQQ.
This has given me some problems. I have gone to the 1a2 and it's very fast.

A good volta or a bota fogo is not easy.

Samba is filled with volta's and bota fogo's and I am trying to master the hip movement and at the same time keep the upper body still. And all those infinity and figure 8's with your hips are not easy--plus one needs to have good joints and flexibility (I do Pilates and some Yoga often for dancing) to do it.

This is not a popular dance socially in our area. We may get only one or two Samba's per night, so we don't get much practice. It's a moving and showy dance and the floor craft can be a problem. I'm lucky because it's my partners favorite.

Keeping the dance in phase is a little above where we are at now. I find it difficult to link all the figures together compared to other dances.

Don't think I have the elusive body tick yet. Can it be described?

I bought the new Samba-Slavik and Kirina dvd at Dance Vision and am now working on the details of all the syllabus patterns. I would like to get their Innnovations Samba dvd too.

We have hired a new coach to help with latin and I am having a Samba lesson tomorrow on primarily refining the technique and movement of the dance.
He is not the best, but after I use him for awhile and get better I plan to get a much higher level teacher, Milana (she's Russian) in another city nearby that placed 5th at Blackpool in Latin a few years ago. She has some students that are terrific. I always look at a teachers students to judge if he is a good teacher.

I agree that Samba is the hardest dance--the movement, timing, and character of the dance is totally different than other Latin dances. It is not a easy dance to lead with the lady far away in lots of figures. The lady needs to be familiar with the syllabus work.

Anomymous. A place I go they always play as a Samba Aba 's Dancing Queen. Its not traditional but has a nice feel about it. In a technique class I go to we have for the Samba, as well as the other dances, a set of steps which both male and female do exactly the same steps all facing the same way and progress around the ballroom. Of course it is eight bar phrased. If I were you I would wait untill I met up with Milana to introduce the body tick which is used on just about every step, Boto Fogo , Voltas etc. I don't have Slavik's tape on the Samba, but I have been told it is as brilliant as the others in the series. There is so much information on them I will be looking at them for ever.For the Promenade to Counter Promenade Runs I have 3/4 1/2 3/4 3/4 1/2 3/4 3/4 1/2 3/4. That's what I am supposed to do, but unless the coach is leading I finish up with a 3/4 1/4 1 timing. At the bottom of the chart it says. The timing for this figure is unusual. And so say all of us.One little bit of advice. If you have a routine which should be eight bar phrased and you decide for some reason to drop a couple of bars they must be replaced. The other thing is don't stop. If somebody is in your way and you can go clean through the middle, or split and go around them. If you stop unless you are very good you will never pick up the phrasing. Best of luck.

I like the Samba and really enjoy dancing Samba. Out of 14 dances we have tried to learn, it has been the most challenging. Studio always was trying to show us combinations including multiple types of Samba steps/movements, we dropped all the combinations and used videos to learn manuevers that contained one type of movement/step ( swivels, samba walks, bota fogas etc.. ). That approach has worked better for us. It is still one of our weakest dances, but at least it is fun now.

Dennis Beach. Again I say that I only now what some studios teach in my neck of the woods. Thank goodness a couple turned up here very highly ranked Internationaly . There are some differences in timing and teaching. As an example a Volta was being counted as 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 which would be 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 Thats seven steps and seven half beats.Odd number. 1/2 beat missing. The count should be
3/4 1/4 3/4 1/4 3/4 1/4 1. Odd number of steps but an even number of beats. Somebody will say well lets drop a 1/2 beat at the end of the first example. Answere . Why not count it correct in the first place. Boto Fogo the same
1 & 2. It should be 3/4 1/4 1. Counting 1 & 2 encourages a half beat count. The same on the Basic Steps and also the Whisks. The final proof is have two colleages dancing a Volta. One dancing the 3/4 1/4 the other with a count of 1 & 2 and so on. Be the judge. Which looks the better. Anyway its in the book, there can be no argument there.By the way I think you are on the right track with your approach to the Samba.
Best wishes.

We are using a couple videos by Ron Montez and he seems to do a good job explaining the different samba steps. His first video shows combinations that focus on particular Samba step. That way we can get a bota fogo down, than a samba swivel etc.. Once we have the various steps down, than we should be able to combine them into more complex combinations and dance them effectively.

We have had quite a few different teachers at FADS and they do contradict each other or at least explain things in manners that seem contradictory. We had a lesson with a teacher fron Denmark on the Quickstep and found out the little we had been taught, would best be discarded and we started from scratch in Quickstep a few weeks ago. That is allready more fun and we are just getting started on doing it right.

Dennis Beach. If it can be explained what are the main changes to your Quickstep from the Danish teacher. With me, and we are all different, was to use the Slows and let them take me onto the Quicks. I was working hard on every step without very much light and shade. Also a higher body contact than in the Waltz, and lighter.. Plus very strong feet and ankles had to be worked on. Nothing looks worse than a flat Quickstep. Its very refreshing to get some constructive comments as in yours and Anonymous's. Thanks

anon3,

Samba Contrasting Rhythms
All the beats and rhythms of Samba from the ISTD manual just for the record.

Count Beat Value Alt count

1.2 1.1 SS

1a2 3/4.1/4.1 SaS

1a2a1a2 3/4.1/4.3/4.1/4
3/4.1/4.1 SaSaSaS

1.2.3 3/4.1/2.3/4 no alt

SQQ 1.1/2.1/2 1/2and

QQS 1/2.l/2.1 1and2

SSQQS 1.1.1/2.1/2.1 1.2.1and2

SQQQQQQ 1.1/2.1/2.1/2.1/2.1/2.1/2
Alternative count-
1.2 and 1 and 2 and

Slightly confusing? Then you have to apply the correct beat to the syllabus figure with the correct foot work.

For example:
Voltas and Bota Fogos--1a2a3a4
Cruzado walks--SSQQS
Promanade Runs 1.2.3 or QQS

To phrase all these patterns together one needs the correct precede and follow
to suit the phrasing.

How do you do you phrase your routines? It seems that everything needs to very precise and preplanned with choreography--and no floor craft problems. I took a lesson once from a latin teacher and we did a was a very precise routine. How do you dance socially with this dance--maybe do just very basic stuff and don't worry about phrasing? Don't see how anyone could do this dance without really studying the manual and applying all the different rhythms.

Anonymous. Very interesting . I really can't see how the average person could choreograph the Samba after getting away from the absolute basics. I danced for a long time without realizing that on two bars of Voltas before we cross over there is a whole beat of one on the seventh step if it is to be danced correctly. This opened a few doors for me. I copied a sequence from the Letter Service danced by Paul Richarson. If it is danced in time and in phrase it feels great. If not it feels lousey. In other words if I started this group on any other bar in the phrasing other than one its not good. On a teaching tape it is no accident that they consist of eight bars of music. If you get onto Michael Wentink out of Africa. The Jive is counted to an eight step count . Try a Basic Fallaway Rock. Change of places Left to Right. Then back again counting in eights. My way used to be counted 123&45&6 start again 12 not exactly right.

Anonymous. Not trying to be funny or contradictory but this as always been a debatable point with me. That is as you copied from the book on Voltas and Botofogo's. Quote 1 a 2 a 3 a 4. What count is the last step on a Volta. A pair of Botofogo's Quote 1a2(a)3a4 how can the middle (a) be explained. The 2 and the 4 have one whole beat. This might provide a clue on Voltas. If I am to count them as above they would have to read 1 a 2 a 3 a 4 a. You will notice the (a) at the end of the sequence and is that right. Who said the Samba is easy.