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The Portuguese imported many slaves from Angola and Congo into Brazil in the
16th century, who in turn brought their dances such as the Catarete, the
Embolada and the Batuque
A composite dance evolved in the 1830\'s combining the plait figures from these
Negro dances and the body rolls and sways of the indigenous Lundu. Later,
carnival steps were added like the Copacabana (named after a popular beach near
Rio de Janeiro). Gradually members of the high society in Rio embraced it,
although they modified it to be done in closed ballroom dancing position (which
they knew was the only correct way to dance anything). The dance was then
called the Zemba Queca, and was described in 1885 as \"a graceful Brazilian
dance\". This was later called the \'Mesemba\'. The origin of the name \'Samba\' is
unclear: perhaps it is a corruption of Semba, although another suggestion is
that is derived from \'Zambo\' which means the offspring of a Negro man and a
native woman.
The dance was later combined with the Maxixe. This was also originally
Brazilian: a round dance described as like a Two Step, and named after the
prickly fruit of a Cactus. The Maxixe was introduced into the U.S.A. at the
turn of the 20th century.
The Maxixe became popular in Europe after a demonstration in Paris in 1905. It
was described as having the steps of the Polka done to the music of the Cuban
Habanera. The present day Samba still contains a step called the Maxixe,
consisting of a chasse and point.
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