This short guide is meant to help you understand basic sentences and words in Brazilian Portuguese in the context of samba dance classes. If you have already taken samba classes with teachers who mainly speak Brazilian Portuguese, you probably will recognize many words!

It happens that learners—from many countries—and teachers get lost in translation simply because they do not speak the same idiom. When it comes to learning a dance, making sure that we understand descriptions of body movements is very helpful. Understanding what is asked and how to execute the dance plays an important role in the learning experience.

Another reason why becoming familiar with the language matters is that understanding the historical context preserves the dance’s meaning, which is tied to a history of enslavement, oppression, racism, marginalization but also resilience, power, strength, love, unity, creativity, and freedom. Samba culture is rich and complex, and Brazilian Portuguese language is a key element!

PLEASE NOTE: this list is non-exhaustive and I will update it progressively. The descriptions I make of common movements are my own translation/interpretation, and by no means are the only way of describing those movements.