Brazilian Dances

O Baile

“Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. ” 
― Dave Barry

I was able to attend my first single adult dance in here in São Paulo last week and I thought it would be interesting to compare the differences between those of the United States with this dance.

·         Music

•       Now, as expected, the music was different. Mostly, what played was a style called Forro (Foh-hoh), but there was also some Sertaneja, Line dancing, Rock, and some brief techno. There was no hip hop, which I found surprising.

·         Dancing

•       You can’t have a dance without those who just aren't willing to dance. Yes, you guessed it; even in Brazil is the wallflower disease prevalent. Yet what sets Brazil apart is that whether the song was fast or slow, you were expected to grab a girl and bogey  Sure, if some faster paced rock music was playing everyone would raise one hand in the air and jump up and down as if they were trying to make the building collapse; this is normal in both countries. But the rest of the music was partner dancing. If you weren't dancing with a partner, you just stood there. Hitch would not approve .

When I first got to the dance, I tried picking up the steps for Forro. It seemed simple enough watching the people’s feet. The skill levels ranged from crazy good to “fish out of water”. Little did I know, I was about to become one of those fish. I starting noticing that some of the moves used to spin the girls around were similar to those that I learned in my dance class. Soon I was out on the dance floor. It was a good thing I let my dance partner know that I was just learning the dance because I needed all the sympathy I could get. I wasn't able to place the dance steps with the beat of the music. It was horrible. I stepped on her feet at least three times. After about three songs of making a fool of myself, I left and found a group of friends. It’s a good thing I've got about two more months to learn this dance because I will not let it get the better of me!