“Samba-filled Summer” by Laura Victor

At the beginning of every summer, after I’ve recovered from the stress of finals, I will inevitably burst out of my room oozing with inspiration, find my mother (or, one year, wake her…inspiration does not wear a watch...) and declare, “MOM! This summer I am going to learn ______!” Over the years, that blank space has been filled with activities such as baking, gardening, sign language, latch hooking, Hebrew, and even “to appreciate the novels that everyone else finds really boring!” (which according to me consisted of Moby Dick, Ivanhoe, War and Peace, etc). Needless to say, some summers were much more successful than others…I am actually too embarrassed to admit how many pages I got through War and Peace before that goal ended. Nevertheless, every summer I try something new, and this year it’s the Samba!

I first became interested in this Brazilian dance in late May, and rather unexpectedly. I had fallen asleep with the television on and was awakened by fast-paced, energetic music. After locating my glasses and transitioning from “mostly unconscious” to only “partly unconscious,” I looked at the TV screen and saw a woman wearing the most magnificent headpiece I had ever seen. It was pink, feathered, bejeweled, and just all around fabulous. As the initial awe of the headpiece wore off, I watched how the dancer’s fast movements were completely in sync with the percussion and was extremely impressed. Lastly, I noticed her incredible hip swivels and decided that my hips could and should totally learn how to swivel like that. Since then, I have watched numerous Youtube videos of the Samba and have grown partial to the couple’s dances. The chemistry between all of the pairs I’ve seen is almost tangible and really adds to the sensual and spontaneous nature of the dance.

Although I have watched some “how to dance the Samba” videos, the first time I will see the dance live will be at Caramoor’s “Samba do Rio” Dancing at Dusk concert on August 10th. The performing arts company, Grupo Ribeiro led by Quenia Ribeiro will be performing as well as leading the audience in dance. Having already watched some snippets of their performances on the internet, I am beyond excited for this event.

The Samba do Rio concert is also the last of Caramoor’s summer festival, and since the Samba is considered “the dance of celebration and joy,” I cannot think of a more appropriate end to this year’s season. This was my first year working at Caramoor, and I have had such a wonderful time and met a lot of incredible people. What better way is there for me to celebrate such a wonderful experience than to dance…Samba-style!

For more information about Dancing at Dusk, check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeI2Z3EASEI