1. Do it Rio
You don't have to be in Rio de Janeiro at "Carnaval" to enjoy dancing the samba as a solo dance, but it wouldn't hurt. In Brazil, dancing the samba as "samba no pe" means dancing the samba as a solo dance. Most of us are so used to seeing the samba being a couples dance in ballroom dancing shows and events, that we forget that it is a big deal to dance the samba solo as a part of the Brazilian culture and a large part of the festivities of Carnaval. The samba can be danced on a dance floor as a solo when the right beats of the music call out.
2. Samba for Two or Samba for One
Doing the samba solo is typically danced the same way as with a partner. The dancer must stay true to the lines of the body doing the samba for style and technique. Samba music is in 2/4 rhythm and the samba dance uses three dance steps per music measure. Because of the samba rhythm, a samba dance student learns to count the samba beginning with first count being "and" a one, "and" a two, three. The samba dancer keeps their movements true to the basic samba. Dancing to either side, the dancer picks up their foot just prior to the first beat or the "and" of the dance counts. The foot goes down on the actual count one, while the right leg is slightly moved in the right direction. It's important to keep this leg from bending or keep it straight. Use the other foot and leg to move in the front direction and moving in towards the first foot. The dancer will need to slightly bend the second leg in the knee. Keeping with these movements, the right hip will seem higher than the left hip does. The samba dancer needs to do a weight shift to the back foot or leg to get ready for the next set of dance counts. Then, it's time to do these movements to the other side.
3. Add Spice to Your Workout With the Samba
The samba can be danced solo as a part of a Brazilian or Latin influenced workout class. These are becoming very popular as a part of fitness. These workouts incorporate the Brazilian moves of the samba in combination with other Latin influenced moves in a workout environment for a really hot and spicy twist on the traditional aerobics workout.
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