What is samba?
Ballroom samba is a festive, traveling Latin dance with a distinctive bounce action driven from the knees and ankles. Figures like the whisk, samba walks, bota fogos and voltas move around the floor to carnival rhythms.
History
Samba music and dance grew in Rio de Janeiro from Afro-Brazilian traditions. Ballroom samba took shape after Brazilian films and the 1939 New York World's Fair introduced it abroad, and it entered the International Latin program — distinct from carnival samba no pé.
Basic technique
- Bounce action — down on the beat, up on the "and"
- Whisks, samba walks and bota fogos
- Voltas and rolling hip motion
Music & tempo
50–52 bars per minute in 2/4 — about 100–104 BPM.
Songs for samba
| Song | Artist | BPM | Key | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calma, amor | Exaltasamba | 96 | C major | 2009 |
| Estátua | É o Tchan | 96 | D major | 1998 |
| Mal-acostumada | Ara Ketu | 96 | C minor | 1998 |
| O amor é feio | Tribalistas | 96 | C minor | 2002 |
| Eu so quero um xodo | Gilberto Gil | 97 | F minor | 2004 |
| A mais bonita | Chico Buarque com Bebel Gilberto | 97 | A# major | 1990 |
| Dora | Milton Nascimento & Gilberto Gil | 97 | E minor | 2000 |
| Manhatã | Caetano Veloso | 97 | D# minor | 1997 |
| Doce refúgio | Fundo de Quintal feat. Luiz Carlos da Vila | 97 | C major | 2004 |
| Tropicum | Olodum | 97 | A# major | 1993 |
BPM as measured by audio analysis; some tracks read at half or double the danced tempo.
What to wear
Latin shoes.
How to get started
Learn cha-cha and rumba first; samba's bounce takes practice.
We list 6 studios that teach samba, or browse all dance studios by state.
Samba in historic images
Young people celebration the South American Samba Dance in Tel Aviv.
Young people celebration the South American Samba Dance in Tel Aviv.
Young people celebration the South American Samba Dance in Tel Aviv.
Young people celebration the South American Samba Dance in Tel Aviv.
Helsinki Samba Carnaval.
Helsinki Samba Carnaval.
Helsinki Samba Carnaval.
Helsinki Samba Carnaval.
Openly licensed images via Europeana; rights statements on each item page.
Key partner-dance terms
Movies featuring samba
- Cinderela Baiana (1998)
- Samba On Your Feet (2005)
Recent research
- Samba, deep water, and poles: a framework for exercise prescription in Parkinson's disease. — Sport sciences for health, 2022
- Balance and Muscle Strength in Elderly Women Who Dance Samba. — PloS one, 2016
- Can Samba and Forró Brazilian rhythmic dance be more effective than walking in improving functional mobility and spatiotemporal gait parameters in patients with Parkinson's disease? — BMC neurology, 2020
- Effect of 12-week rehearsal on cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in Brazilian samba dancers. — Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 2023
- The importance of dance for the cognitive function of people with Parkinson's: A systematic review with meta-analysis. — Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 2024
Books about samba
- Samba by Alma Guillermoprieto (1990)
- A portrayal of the Brazilian Samba dance with the use of Labananalysis as a tool for movement analysis by Myriam Evelyse Mariani (1986)
- Samba by Alma Guillermoprieto (1990)
- Samba y Lambada - Bailes de Salon by Paul Bottomer (1999)
- Carnaval by Hiram Araujo (2003)
- Samba na cidade de São Paulo, 1900-1930 by Iêda Marques Hori, Iêda Marques Britto (1981)
Encyclopedia summary
The international ballroom version of samba is one of the five official Latin American dances in international dancesport competitions. It in a lively, rhythmical dance which progresses counter-clockwise around the floor . It differs considerably from the original samba styles of Brazil; in particular, it differs from Samba de Gafieira, a partner type of Samba in that country.
Frequently asked questions
What tempo is samba?
50–52 bars per minute in 2/4 time, roughly 100–104 beats per minute.
What BPM is Samba?
Samba is usually danced to music between 96 and 104 beats per minute (50–52 bars per minute in competition). Browse 296 songs that fit on our Samba music page.
How many calories does samba burn?
About 220 calories per hour for a 155-lb (70 kg) person, based on a MET value of 3 from the Compendium of Physical Activities. See calories burned samba for every body weight.
Related styles
Cha-Cha
Cuba (cha-cha-chá music by Enrique Jorrín)
Ballroom & DanceSportRumba
Cuba (son and bolero-son); ballroom versions in the US and England
Latin Social DanceBrazilian Zouk
Brazil (evolved from lambada)
Ballroom & DanceSportWaltz
Austria and southern Germany (from the Ländler)
Ballroom & DanceSportViennese Waltz
Vienna, Austria
Ballroom & DanceSportFoxtrot
United States (New York vaudeville)
Ballroom & DanceSportQuickstep
England (from the fast foxtrot and the Charleston)
Ballroom & DanceSportBallroom Tango
England and the United States, adapted from Argentine tango
Last reviewed October 2026 · Editorial policy