Virtually all of the Latin dances have origins in Latin America. They are the products of varying combinations of European music, African drums, and African dances that were intertwined with white mannerisms. The diverse European and African cultures that were brought to the Americas during the slave-trade populated the many Latin-American countries with different combinations of music and dance styles, setting the stage for a melting-pot of rhythms and dances that all evolved into the various Latin dances we know today .
While the Tango is known to have origins in Argentine and the Rumba is reputed to have come from Cuba, the Samba claims Brazil as its place of birth. It combines African and Brazilian indigenous (native population) influence and has a similar history as that of the Tango. “The Portuguese imported many slaves from Angola and the Congo into Brazil in the 16th century, who in turn brought their dances” (Herbison-Evans). By the 1830’s, the plait figures of the African folk and trance dances had combined with the body rolls and sways of the indigenous Brazilians, and gradually the high society in Rio embraced the Samba, "although they modified it to be done in closed ballroom dancing position” (Herbison-Evans). This dance would continue to evolve in Brazil, but would not be introduced to North America until the late 1930’s.
Samba music was introduced to the American public at the Brazilian Pavilion at the 1939 New York World Fair. It became even more popular after Carmen Miranda appeared in the Broadway production "Streets of Paris" on May 29, 1939, dancing to Brazilian music and wearing a costume inspired by traditional African-Brazilian dress. The appearance was only for six minutes, but in that time she became an overnight success and was an instant fashion icon with shoe, hat, and handbag fashions in America. In that same year, she was chosen to be one of America’s most outstanding women.
Carmen Miranda was born in 1909 in Portugal and immigrated with her parents to Rio de Janeiro when she was a baby. As a young adult, Miranda “became a department store model, entertaining her co-workers during breaks with highly original renditions of traditional sambas and marches” (Schoen). Miranda was a major star throughout South America by 1939 and became known as the “Brazilian Bombshell.” Just as Hollywood had elevated Rudolph Valentino, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and others into celebrity positions that greatly influenced the evolution of ballroom dancing, it then placed Carmen Miranda on screen with her unique style of Brazilian dance and song. Hollywood made many movies with her as a guest performer, such as "That Night in Rio" (1941), where Carmen again performed in her lavish traditional African-Brazilian costume and danced to Samba rhythms. Miranda created her own costumes which were adaptations of the clothing worn by native women in Bahia. Many of the standardized movements used today in the ballroom Samba still reflect her stage performances and style. Even today, when ballroom couples perform the Samba as a solo show-performance, similar costuming as that of Miranda Carmen is often worn.
Herbison-Evans, Don.
History of Modern Ballroom Dancing.
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Schoen, Elin.
Carmen Miranda. Dictionary of American Bibliography. Supplement 5:
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