SAMBA history

However, in 1917, the Samba Carnavalesco was presented to the public by Ernesto dos Santos, or Donga, son of Tía Amelia, in the song “Pelo Telefone” (on the telephone).

Maintaining its Portuguese/Iberian connection and the legacy of Africa, in 1925 samba was imported into Europe and studied heavily by aficionados from Europe, the US and elsewhere.

The first samba school opened in 1928, and more than 100 of them exist today.

The Rio parade of 1932 saw groups of people from all backgrounds come together to celebrate.

The dance was introduced to United States movie audiences in 1933 when Fred Astaire and Dolores Del Rio danced the Carioca in Flying Down to Rio and several years later, Carmen Miranda danced the Samba in That Night in Rio.

A Samba exhibition was given at the November 1938 meeting of the New York Society of Teachers of Dancing.

General interest in the Samba was stimulated at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, where Samba music was played at the Brazilian Pavilion.

A few years later the Brazilian composer Ary Barroso wrote the classic Samba, "Brasil," which quickly became a hit, and in 1944 he went to Hollywood to write the score for the musical Brazil.

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Rio Carnival dancers in 1998 – Source: Bucket List Events