Esthe de Hanasaku / エステ・デ・花咲く



	*Samba no Pe (Carnival Samba)* 　The Samba is a musical genre and a type of dance from African roots emerged in Brazil and is considered the national rhythm for it's excellence. Considered one of the most popular cultural events in Brazil the samba became a symbol of national identity. 　The Samba as gender is a musical expression city of Rio de Janeiro, where in fact it was born and developed between the end of the nineteenth century and the first decades of this century. It was in Rio de Janeiro that the dance practiced by slaves migrated from Bahia came into contact and incorporated other musical genres played in the city (such as polka, the gherkin, the lundu, the xote, among others), acquiring a completely unique character and creating the Rio Samba and Carnival city. 　Samba no pe is a solo dance that is most often danced impromptu when samba music is played. The basic movement involves a straight body and a bending of one knee at a time. The feet move very slightly - only a few inches at a time. The rhythm is 2/4, with 3 steps per measure. It can be thought of as a step-ball-change.It can be described calling it and-a-one, and-a-two, then back to one. The basic movement is the same to either side, where one foot moves to the outside lifting up just before the first beat, lifting on the "and-a" and replacing itself on the floor on the one beat (i.e. the right leg moves slightly to the right) and this leg is kept straight. The other foot moves slightly towards the front, and closer to the first foot. The second leg bends slightly at the knee so that the left side of the hip lowers and the right side appears to move higher. The weight is shifted to this inside foot briefly for the next "and-a", then shifted back to the outside foot on the "two", and the same series of actions is repeated towards the other side. 　The dance simply follows the beat of the music and can go from average pace to very fast. Men dance with the whole foot on the ground while women, often wearing heels, dance just on the balls of the foot. Professionals may change the steps slightly, taking 4 steps per measure instead of 3, and often add various arm movements depending on the mood of the music. 　There are also regional forms of the dance in Brazil where the essential steps are the same, but because of a change in the accent of the music people will dance similar movements to the slightly changed accents. For instance, in Bahia the girls tend to dance tilting their legs towards the outside instead of keeping their knees close to each other as in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. 　Beginner's Level : 　Basic steps, hips and feet exercises, variations on basic steps, posture correction, arms 　positioning. 　Intermediate's Level : 　Spins, hops and jumps. 　Advanced Level : 　Variations on advanced moves, training for shows and events. 　Interesting Samba Dance Movie Link: 　http://www.youtube.com

	Samba de Gafieira 　Very traditional in Rio de Janeiro in the 1930's the Samba de Gafieira is a rhythm that came out of the mixtures of Samba and Jazz and it has a code of ethics where elegance and respect are predominant. It is an elegant partner dance, although in artistic performances it is not uncommon mixing solo steps of Samba no Pe.The choreography of the Samba de Gafieira looks quite relaxed due to the snickery of the Samba from the beginning of last century, showing the magic of the Brazilian Bohemia. 　　One of the main aspects observed in the Samba de Gafieira style is the attitude of the dancer in front of his partner: snickery, protection, exposure to surprise situations, elegance and rhythm. At the time of the dance, the man leads his lady and not the opposite. It is said that the typical scoundrel (Malandro) wore a white suit, black and white or brown and white shoes and underneath the jacket, black and white or red and white shirt horizontally striped and a Panama hat. Inside the pocket he carried a knife. One hand was always within a pocket of the pants, holding the knife in readiness for the attack. The other hand gestured normally. His legs did not walk apart of each other in parallel but always hiding the movement of each other, as if practically walking on a line.
	While dancing, the "trickster" always protects his lady, giving her space so she can show herself to him and for the whole ball around him and at the same time preventing an approximation of any other man who wishes to dance with her. Hence also the attitude of Samba with open arms, as if giving a hug, is to enter the rhythm of music also to protect his lady. The main figure in the Samba de Gafieira is the hook, which can be used as an early step, connecting to another step or even for completion of a sentence of steps. 　Beginner's Level : 　Basic steps, correct posture for each step, simple spins, variations in between spins. 　Intermediate's Level : 　Double and crossed spins, crossed walks, hooks, gentleman's commands, lady's 　understanding of commands, correct posture for each step. 　Advanced Level : 　Variations on flips and hooks, training for shows and events. 　Interesting Samba Dance Movie Link: 　http://www.youtube.com