A brief history of the beginnings of two of the most well-known dances: Samba and Salsa.

2. derived from the West African word “semba” meaning
“a navel thrust” or “a kind of physical invitation”
a Brazilian dance characterized by rapid rhythmic
steps and a swaying, rocking motion made to lively
beats

3. Portugese traders brought
African slaves to Bahia, Brazil.
The slaves retained the
customs of their homeland,
including a tradition of
drumming and dancing.

4. During mid 19th century, Brazil
abolished slavery and
descendants of slaves moved
south to Rio de Janeiro.
They settled in the favelas
or poorer neighborhoods
surrounding the city.
Through 17th and 18th centuries,
music and dance survived in
private celebrations.

5. The Africans continued dancing
to percussive music and
developed samba out of a mix
of styles, including Brazilian
maxixe, a dance similar to
tango.

6. In 1914, the first
phonograph record
of samba music
brought wider
recognition and
samba became more
popular.

7. an expert Samba dancer who was
famous in Brazil
Introduced the Samba dance to the
United States after her move to
Hollywood

9. a sexy, energetic and fun partner dance
a popular form of social dance that originated in the
Caribbean
the movements have origins in Puerto Rican bomba and
plena, Cuban Son, cha-cha-cha, mambo and other
dance forms

10. Cuban Son
Afro-Cuban Rumba
1900s, Eastern Cuba
Musical elements and rhythms from various styles were combined.
the two main styles, used
diverse musical instruments to
create the basis of a rhythm
that later became known as
the Salsa.

11. 50 years later, the new rhythm
reached Havana.
Salsa absorbed influences
from other local Cuban music
and from American jazz and
continued to evolve.
Due to the revolution in Cuba,
many musicians relocated to
the United States, where
they found an ideal
environment to develop
their rhythm.

12. Fania Records gave Salsa its fame.
Many artists who signed with this label
are regarded as “Legends of Salsa”
such as Celia Cruz and Hector Lavoe.
The label produced one hit after
another, which gave rise to Salsa and
Fania Records’ fame.

13. The record company
edits the rhythms which
originated in Cuba and
gave them a catchier
sound. They called it the
“new sound Salsa.”