Samba was created by the African slaves that came to Brazil, and its African influences can be clear in some of the dances and costumes. We saw a fantastic dance by someone dressed as a West African witch doctor, and then there were dancers dressed in animal skins with elephant tusk headdresses. The fantastic plumes may be both an African and Brazilian influence, as with the pulsating drumbeats and rhythm of the music.
The first act was an exhibition of soccer ball skills. The lady in question kept the ball in the air and in play (bouncing it off her head and legs) for 45 minutes without dropping it. It was brilliant.!
The samba show itself was based on the history of Brazil: from the arrival of the first European settlers, the arrival of African slaves, the traditional African culture, to the evolution of the Brazilian samba style of dancing. We were also treated with a capoeira display and a ball skills display. Capoeira is another Brazilian art form and was developed by the African slaves in the jungles to help them defend themselves. I had heard another story that I have been unable to verify: that capoeira was created by the African slaves as they were forbidden to dance and so they developed a martial art that was akin to dancing (but not). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira
The ball display was a performed by a man with two little hard balls that were fastened and swung by two ropes. We saw this in Argentina as well, and these balls were used by the gauchos to kill small animals. The show here was limited to dancing with the balls and swinging them in impressive, swirling displays without knocking himself (or anyone else) out. It was good fun.
We were also treated to some fantastic Brazilian music using traditional instruments. It reminded me of cartoon music when South American characters were shown. The best part of the evening, however, was the samba dancing. Here are pictures of the dancers and their impressive costumes!
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