Samba, which became popular in Brazil during the early 20th century and later became an international phenomenon, has always been both a musical genre and a dance form. The musicians create syncopated polyrhythms around a regular, hypnotic 2/4 structure, with the emphasis on the second beat. Basic instrumentation is percussive: bass, snare and friction drums, a repeatedly struck double bell and the cricketlike noise of the "scraper." The melody is carried by the singer and a few other instruments. Samba dancing as it originated in Brazil, whether solo or with a partner, is a relatively simple response to the rhythm of the music; it should not be confused with the much more elaborate samba seen in competitive ballroom dancing.
Brazilian musicians, both at home and abroad, began to experiment with international pop and rock styles in the 1950s, but it was only with the Tropicália movement of the 1960s that a true fusion of indigenous samba rhythms with modern rock was achieved. Tropicália was a serious cultural movement which affected art and literature in Brazil as well as music. Samba-rock was a lighthearted, highly danceable outgrowth of this fusion. It adapted samba to the 4/4 beat typical of rock and soul, employed electric instruments, and found its audience in the nightclubs rather than the streets of Rio.
The originator of samba-rock was Jorge Ben Jor, whose much-covered song "Mas Que Nada" ("More Than Nothing") became one of the best-known Brazilian pop songs in the world, rivaling the bossa nova hit "The Girl from Ipanema" in popularity. His music has more in common with soul, even funk, than with rock, but the samba accents are unmistakable. His backing band, Trio Mocotó, became samba rock stars in their own right with songs like "Coqueiro Verde" ("Green Coconut"). These artists exemplify the light, upbeat, danceable tone of samba-rock.
Samba-rock dance is a partner dance which retains the foot patterns of samba but is fast in pace and involves the distinctive intertwining and release of the partners' bodies. Without releasing hands, partners curl into and away from each other through a series of spins and turns. The body movements recall jive, but the overall sensuality of the dance is more reminiscent of the sexy Brazilian lambada in which the partners' pelvises seem to be locked. The dance is quite different from ballroom samba in which the partners often dance at a distance from each other.
Samba-rock classes may be hard to find, but the dance can be seen in videos online, and of course at nightclubs which play modern Brazilian music. Look out for "samba-rock" nights.