If you go
What: Free samba classes at Boteco, 916 NE 79th St., Miami
When: 9:30 p.m. Monday nights
Cost: Free
Parking: $5 (valet parking included)
For information: (305) 757-7735, http://www.botecomiami.com/
Giselle Barroso is originally from Costa Rica, but it’s not a typical Central American dance that she fell in love with and has been practicing for two years. Every Monday night, she goes to Boteco, a Brazilian bar and restaurant in Miami, and waits until Allan Maquieira and Bianca Christopher start teaching one of her favorite rhythms: samba.
“I always wanted to learn how to dance samba,” said Barroso, 54. “Once I started these classes, I thought I was going to move my hips a lot, but this is really more than that.”
Boteco offers free samba classes on Mondays at 9:30 p.m. for everyone interested in learning or practicing the Brazilian dance from African roots.
The rhythm is internationally recognized as more than just another typical dance; it’s the dance of celebration and joy at the Brazilian Carnival.
“The place is pretty good and pretty packed with people from everywhere in the world,” said Christopher, 33, one of the instructors, who moved from São Paulo and has been teaching samba at Boteco for five months.
Both instructors, Brazilians who learned samba in their homeland, start the night with some basic steps, drawing in the crowd by the bar.
The music is played primarily by percussion and string instruments, and the beat of the drum is something like “tum, tum, tuntutururun, tum, tum.”
The basic moves include three steps, weight changes with a slight knee lift, all this while alternating feet, which requires a little coordination.
Jackie Herrera, a professional belly and Peruvian folkloric dancer, tries not to miss the Brazilian beat.
When she gets a free Monday night, she always goes to samba classes at Boteco.
“Everything is just released by the groove of samba,” she said. “This dance is really soothing.”
Herrera, from Peru, has been going to Boteco’s classes for a year.
“When I started coming here, I noticed that people are really happy and fulfilled. These people say hi, bye and even become friends,” said Herrera, 29. “That’s what I think samba is about. It’s about celebration that makes you happy in communion and treat others as family.”
Maquieira, 48, from Rio de Janeiro, said the classes usually have 20 to 30 people every week.
“Most are Americans and Hispanics – few Brazilians, not many,” she said.
The classes don’t finish until midnight. Boteco welcomes everyone who wants to learn or practice the Brazilian rhythm.
“If you like to do it, if you are interested in doing it, if you’ve never done it and never taken one class, you can always come to take your first step,” said Christopher.
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