When most people (including me) think of dancing in Brazil, the first thing that comes to mind is Samba, but here in Bahia, the popular and traditional dance that everyone knows and loves if called Forró (prounced "foh-hoh"). Bahians are absolutely crazy about Forró and I am always amazed and impressed that most everyone here knows how to dance it. Here, it's cool to be able to dance the traditional dances well and mad dancing skills are highly admired and desired. Whenever I ask how students learned the answer is invariably a shrug of the shoulders and a response like "I don't know, we just learn it growing up."
In our neighborhood there are two main places to dance Forró: San Marica and Mar Aberto. San Marica is a dance hall specifically made for Forró. Every Sunday night there is live music and the place is packed the dancing couples. You have to dance Forró in pairs and though it looks easy, there are very specific steps and movements; actually dancing Forró well takes considerable skill and practice. Mar Aberto is a club right on the beach which offers Forró on Wednesday nights. The cool thing about going on Wednesday nights is that they have paid instructors who will dance with you for free. They also do some pretty incredible demos to show off how the dance is really supposed to be done.
Forró music is very special as well. The traditional band consists of an accordian, a triangle and a type of bass drum called a "zabumba." Some songs are fast and others are slow, some have lyrics and others are just instrumental. During the dance, the man leads and the hand/body position is like the waltz. There are turns and spins, inward and outward steps while the rhythm is kept at a one-two-onw-two count. Most women dance on their toes and the really talented ones can dance in heels which is quite the sight.
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| Loni trying out some Forró with one of the instructors |
On Wednesday night, I went to Mar Aberto for the first time. I had been to San Marica before which was fun but also a little intimidating as I was quite literally the only person in the dance hall who didn't know how to dance Forró. One of my friends from UESC danced with me for a couple of songs to give me a little introduction but for the most part, I just watched. At Mar Aberto I was able to dance with an instructor which was a lot of fun but also felt a little hopeless. It was really hard to stay with the ryhthym and try to follow his lead. I felt completely lost - a feeling which is beginning to feel like a habit here.
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| This is not Forró, but one of the current popular dances here called "Ziggy Ziggy" |
But the overall experience was awesome. Mar Aberto, like its name suggests, is right on the beach with large open windows to the sea. While you're dancing you can see the ocean and feel the ocean breeze. When things start to heat up on the dance floor, however, the bar has to turn on giant industrial fans because of the already high temperatures, even at 11pm at night. With the live band on the balcony, the impressively smooth and good-looking male and female instructors (yep, Sean, that means you get to learn here when you get here too!), I felt like I was in a scene from a Brazilian version of Dirty Dancing. It was kind of like a dream come true.
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