The samba is the national dance of Brazil, and it is danced in every club, carneval parade, and in virtually every home. The rhythms of samba, as well as the word itself, were brought to Brazil by West African slaves. Because it can carry overtones of sadness or regret, samba has often been compared to the blues in the U.S.
The rest of the world started to discover samba after an exhibition in Paris in 1905, but it wasn't until the 1940s, thanks to movie star Carmen Miranda, that the samba became a sensation in America.
As a ballroom dance, the samba is a partner dance. Ballroom samba, like other ballroom dances, is somewhat disconnected from the origins and evolution of the music and dance that gives it its name.
Most steps are danced with a slight downward bouncing or dropping action. This action is created through the bending and straightening of the knees, with bending occurring on the beats of 1 and 2, and the straightening occurring between. However, unlike the bouncing of Polka, for example, there is no considerable bobbing. Also, Samba has a specific hip action, different from that in ballroom Latin dances (Rumba and Cha-Cha-Cha).
The ballroom samba is danced to music in 2/4 or 4/4 time.