Samba and Forro

Larissa, our local program coordinator, is an ardent dance enthusiast - so she suggested a samba lesson for us. My dance skills are non-existent, and I bust a move only when I have imbibed plenty. But part of the reason for me doing this project was to do things way outside my comfort zone, and going for a dance lesson fit that criteria to a T.

So we showed up Wednesday evening to the dance studio she attends, Escola de Dance Leandro Theodoro. She was co-opted by her teacher to help him teach as well as translate. Leandro started with a warm welcome to all of us, and then put us through initial paces to get sense of how well (or poorly) coordinated we were. Soon enough, he was teaching us the basic samba steps. Swagger was a heavy part of the basic move - and in 20 minutes, he had all of us doing our own thing while the rest of the group cheered on.

Then on to Forro (pronounced "foho"), a style for couples popular in the north of Brazil. A lot trickier, as you had a partner's feet to watch out for. I managed to survive the session without causing much damage to the feet of any of the girls I danced with - so in my book, that counts as success.

The last piece was a demo by Leandro and his partner Camila - absolutely delightful to watch. I intend to go back for more punishment next week. Wish Akila were here - she would've really enjoyed the experience.

Here's a snippet of Leandro and Camila doing their thing.

Leandro's a mental health professional and works with severely mentally ill patients - so the dance lessons must be his relaxation.

#ibmcsc brazil