The heart of Rio beats to a powerful rhythm called SAMBA. It shakes your soul, seizes your body, and draws you into a hypnotic connection with others sharing this delirious astral plane.

 Brought to Brazil by West African slaves as far back as the 17^th century, samba traces its origin to the Bantu word “semba”. The word has a variety of colloquial meanings: as a noun, it could mean a complaint, a cry, or something like "the blues". It also signifies spiritual prayer, or invoking the spirits of ancestors and Gods of African pantheons.

 Most tellingly, semba refers to an ancient dance ritual in which participants form a circle of drums and rhythmic hand-clapping. One by one, dancers come forth and perform a solo, after which another of the participants is touched on the belly to start his/her solo, and so on. This spirit of inclusion allows a chance for everyone, and is typical of the modern Brazilian celebratory attitude. (To this day, samba performance encores typically include dancers bringing audience members onstage to join in a grand finale.)

 These African rhythms were later influenced by the polka and habanera, and eventually fused with elements of the Brazilian genres "Maxixe" and "Chorinho”. What we would now call “SAMBA” emerged early in the 20th century when many northeastern Afro-Brazilians emigrated to Rio de Janeiro. They would often gather in the “Plaza Eleven” district for musical celebrations at the homes of Bahian matriarchs known as “tias” (“aunts”). It was during this time that percussion instruments such as surdos and cuicas were added to the customary Spanish guitars and cavaquinhos (a sort of ukulele)

 The first known samba recording was produced by Ernesto dos Santos in 1917. "Pelo Telefone" (“By the telephone”) was about gambling activities in Rio, and marked the beginning of samba’s heyday.

 With such a rich cultural heritage, it is no surprise that samba would later influence a diverse group of musical styles. The elegantly modern, jazz-tinged Bossa Nova sound, immortalized by the likes of Tom Jobin and Joao Gilberto, is clearly drawn from samba rhythms. Similarly, there is no mistaking the root of Pagode, heard all over Brazil at intimate gatherings and backyard jam sessions.

 So when you next attend a samba performance, keep in mind that you are witnessing an important chapter in the history of world music. And don’t resist if you suddenly find yourself being pulled onstage!