Master Braz dos Santos
Script error: No such module "AfC submission catcheck". Master Braz dos Santos is one of the most famous Lambada dancers in the world[1][2][3]. Master Braz has performed and taught Lambada (also known as Lambazouk and Zouk Lambada) internationally for more than 35 years and is considered to be one of the "godfathers" of this Brazilian dance. Master Braz has contributed to the development of Lambada communities in the USA, the UK, The Netherlands, France, Argentina, Israel and Spain. Along with his brother Didi Dos Santos, he created and developed many of the steps that form the modern day Lambada and led to its off shoots such as Brazilian Zouk. In 1988, he began to tour internationally with the Kaoma company, which first introduced the Lambada dance and music to the world outside of Brazil. Most recently, he developed and teaches a 50-hour Lambada Certificate Course in Key West, Florida. He is the lead instructor at Pasión Dance Studio in Key West[4], the creator of the Pasión Dance Group. He is co-patron of the American Lambada Organization[5], and has co-developed the first ethical standards and dancefloor etiquette guidelines for teachers and students in the field. With the American Lambada Organization, he helped instigate and mount the first Lambada Jack and Jill Competitions in the world, starting in New York at NYC Zouk Festival 2018, then officially in Portland Oregon at LambaFest in 2019[6].
Videos of Master Braz' work have reached over 300 million people. In 2014, he starred in the international stage show Brazouka[7], a story based on his life that began at the Edinburgh Festival and subsequently played in London, UK, and many other cities - notably in Australia, South Africa and Brazil.
Early Life[edit]
He was born Jose Braz Martins Dos Santos in Porto Seguro, in the State of Bahia, Brazil, on February 3rd, 1969. He is the seventh child of fourteen known children from his father, Valdomiro Martins Dos Santos (born 23rd August, 1937 in Canavieiras, of African descent), who was a stone and wood worker, a realtor, and also a shaman in the Candomblé religion. His mother, Maria Da Conceição Santos (born 8th December 1947), is of indigenous descent, a member of the Pataxó tribe based near what is now Coroa Vermelha in Bahia. The large and poorly funded family of fourteen lived in a small house near the ferry port for a car and passenger service that runs between Porto Seguro and Arraial D’Ajuda.
Formative Years[edit]
Lacking formal education, Braz worked in the streets as a child, selling fruit, seafood, bread, cake, and picolés (popsicles), and earning coins for keeping an eye on cars parked by the first tourists to Porto Seguro. As a teenager, Braz became a fisherman with his brother ‘Didi’ (Ednaldo). After long trips at sea the brothers occasionally followed older men to local bordellos in Paqueta - Brega de Gorumal and Brega de Maria de Adélia. The boys were too young to enter, but secretly witnessed girls dancing very sensuously with customers, in what they later understood to be one of the earliest forms of lambada. What was danced in the bordellos of Porto Seguro at that time was most likely a transition point from the earlier African dances of maxixe, lundu[8] and carimbó that had arrived with African people who were brought to Brazil by the Portuguese as slaves after colonization in the 16th century. This early dance most likely also influenced by forró, which was popular at that time. Back then, some referred to the dance as mela cueca (damp underwear) because at that time the dance was close and gyrating, with no separation of partners and limited variation. The music to which they danced arrived in the northeast of Brazil from Caribbean islands of Guadalupe and Martinique, as well as from South America. Rhythms such as carimbó, merengue, cumbia, choro and even 60’s rock led to a form of music known as guitarrada thence to something first known in the north as ‘lambadas’[9]. ‘Lambada’ in Portuguese means ‘slap’ or ‘shot of cachaça’. Oral history would suggest that people in northeastern Brazilian areas such as Belém were dancing a very early form of lambada, based on the African dances already mentioned, but also influenced by sacred orisha dances from the Candomblé religion, samba, and even European polka.
But it was in young Braz' home town of Porto Seguro that the dance of lambada began to take on a recognizable form. As a young teenage fisherman, Braz was immediately inspired to learn this dance, but was only given the opportunity to do so once lambada emerged from its hiding places and began to evolve into a more sanitized and popular form danced openly on streets, beaches and in bars. In Porto Seguro over subsequent years, lambada began to develop into an interesting and athletic dance that was more complex than forró and required considerable study and skill. In particular, lambada developed in a large beach cabana with a bar called the Boca da Barra (run by two men known simply as ‘Roão’ and ‘Nivaldo’). Boca da Barra was established as the main lambada center in Porto Seguro. It was open every night of the week for social dance, lambada lessons, lambada competitions and even lambada marathons. The dance floor inside became so crowded the dancers spilled out onto the surrounding area. The popularity of lambada was amplified by its notoriety. Visitors were drawn to Boca Da Barra, intrigued by the label ‘the forbidden dance’ - named by those who were shocked by the sensuality of the hip-swaying movements and dress (men were often bare-chested with long, hessian trousers or shorts , while most women wore saia curta de lambada - very short circle skirts that flipped up during the dance, revealing ‘thong’ briefs and bare buttocks). But visitors could also have seen that the dance was developing into a distinct and relevant dance form, performed by highly skilled practitioners who were devoted to it.
By the late 80’s news of the lambada ‘craze’ had spread throughout Brazil. As Porto Seguro developed into a vacation town for Brazilians living in colder places such as Sao Paulo, the Boca Da Barra became a flourishing tourist attraction. Bars in Porto Seguro and Arraial d’Ajuda also established lambada social dance nights, competitions and performances, and vied with each other to attract customers through presenting entertainment in the form of informal dance-floor shows by Braz and other accomplished young lambada dancers. Examples of these bars were Porto Trinta Oito, close to what is now a busy corner between two main shopping streets, and Ponto do Encontro on Getulio Varga street. There was also a small lambada bar and school, called Jatoba run by Maroto and his family, on the main quadrado in Arraial D’Ajuda, to the left of the church of Nossa Senora d’Ajuda. Dance teachers from other Brazilian cities such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro travelled to Porto Seguro to learn original Lambada moves and take them back to their own cities and dance schools
Braz began to win lambada competitions, which brought in a little extra money and prizes such as a pair of shoes, or a meal. Prior to the popularity of lambada, people in Porto Seguro had mainly danced forró – especially in June, which is still the designated time for forró festivals throughout Brazil. Forró was considered an acceptable ‘family dance’; by contrast, since lambada had previously been associated with the bordello, it was banned from dance parties in family homes and ‘respectable’ venues. Braz’ father Valdomiro was opposed to the idea of his children dancing lambada, but when Braz began to earn money and goods for the family through the dance, his father turned a blind eye.
Kaoma[edit]
In 1988, at the height of lambada’s popularity in Porto Seguro, a French entrepreneur and music promoter Olivier Lamotte d’Incamps travelled to Porto Seguro, where he saw the potential for lambada music and dance outside Brazil. Lamotte d’Incamps’ idea was to create a company of musicians and dancers who would launch lambada – initially in Paris, then throughout Europe, and eventually world wide. When he saw Braz Dos Santos dancing barefooted in the Boca Da Barra, he asked his translator to tap him on the shoulder and invite him to go to Paris. Braz had no knowledge of geography outside his own town, and had never heard of ‘Paris’, but he agreed, as did his brother Didi who was also invited. But Braz was underage, and parental permission had to be sought, which was challenging considering his father’s opposition to what some were calling ‘the forbidden dance’.
Eventually, Braz and Didi arrived in Paris to join the newly-formed Kaoma group. The musicians and dancers of Kaoma had a highly successful European tour. They made a number of popular music videos. The ‘Lambada’ song, known in Portuguese as ‘Chorando se foi’, as sung by Loalwa Braz became a worldwide number one hit, selling 5 million singles in 1989, and launched the world wide popularity of the dance. Over three years that followed the European tour, the Kaoma group toured Japan, the USA[10], Caribbean nations, Hong Kong, Russia, Vietnam and many other countries.
After Kaoma[edit]
After Kaoma was disbanded, Master Braz stayed in Paris for another year, performing lambada in venues such as the Monte Christo Bar/Restaurant on the Champs Elysees.
After their return to Porto Seguro, Braz’s family became friendly with a family from São Paulo - Tio Plinio and Tia Dora - they called them aunt and uncle - and Braz and Didi were invited with partners Belinha and Gabriela to perform in the family’s discotheque ‘Up and Down’. They were also invited to informal performances in Belo Horizonte at Xoro de Vovo.
In 1998, Master Braz was invited to Argentina by Gilson Damasco, who had started to dance lambada after seeing Braz dance on television, and Braz’ former dance partner Josy Borges, who wanted to establish lambada in Buenos Aires based at the famous dance club ‘Maluca Beleza’. Braz began to teach lambada at Maluca Beleza, and subsequently spent two years developing the dance in Buenos Aires, headlining at Brazilian social dance events, and performing on multiple national Argentinian TV shows.
In March 2002, Berg Dias, a Brazilian dance teacher from Curitiba invited Master Braz dos Santos to London to help develop the Lambada scene in the UK. Braz travelled to the UK with his dance partner at that time, Patricia Cruz from Curitiba in Brazil. In London, Braz enrolled in a language school to learn English, and began to teach lambada and help grow the community. He stayed in London and Manchester for more than 10 years, established his own dance school, and performed in the UK and throughout Europe. While traveling and performing across Europe, he helped establish lambada communities in Amsterdam with the Brasazouk company, Barcelona with Dansabrasil, in Paris. and in Tel Aviv with Zouk Lambada Israel.
Lambada Post-Kaoma[edit]
When 80's lambada music's popularity began to wane, lambada dancers continued to dance to other music with the same beat, notably zouk music from the Caribbean. Some members of the lambada community started to call the dance ‘zouk’, but this was confusing, since Caribbean people in islands such as Martinique and Guadalupe had already established a different dance they called ‘zouk’, performed to the same music. Caribbean zouk had already travelled to Paris in its original form. To clarify the confusion, some lambada dancers used the terms ‘zouk-lambada’ and 'LambaZouk', and eventually a group of Brazilian dancers - some of whom were developing lambada into a more contemporary form with influences from European contemporary dance - began to use the term ‘Brazilian Zouk’ to refer to the lambada-derived zouk and differentiate it from the original Carribean zouk (dance). This confusion in terminology persists to this day. Like all living social dances, Lambada has developed and changed over the years, adopting different styles. People in over fifty countries throughout the world dance and teach various forms of the dance originally known as Lambada. Master Braz Dos Santos continues to attend dance congresses and festivals in major international cities to teach and perform the traditional Lambada dance.
Specific contributions to the development of Lambada dance[edit]
For over thirty five years, Master Braz has been an innovative dancer and teacher of Lambada. He has established rules, created new moves and styling for both leaders and followers, and has developed idiosyncratic shines and patterns. His signature ‘Braz jump’ is a cheeky, two-step rhythmic leap that often comes as a surprise for the follower.
In the early days of Lambada, while dancing at Boca da Barra, Master Braz and his brother Didi Dos Santos developed many steps that continue to be part of a Lambada dancer’s repertoire today. Some were discovered by accident, such as sentadinha which became a style of ‘sitting cambre’ after a girl's shoe came loose on the dance floor and she sat on the leader’s knee to fix it. They named a step ‘VoVo’ (grandma) after the similarly-named beach shack - ‘Xodó da vovó’ or ‘grandma’s cuddle’ - in Belo Horizonte in front of the football stadium where it was created. Master Braz and Didi also created rules to prevent injury for dancers during fast turns, such as the raising of followers’ available arms to avoid hitting the leader’s nose or face at high speed. This particular rule was developed after the follower with whom Didi Dos Santos' was dancing accidentally broke his nose. Additionally, Master Braz, Didi Dos Santos and Rebecca Rô Lang developed the signature boneca move, in which the follower is led to rotate shoulders in a semi-limp fashion, sometimes accompanied by arms and/or head. The boneca, which stands for "doll" in Portuguese, was borrowed from an iconic figure of Brazilian street performers, but was developed in Boca da Barra into a specific step that became a staple of Lambada, both in hold or when partners dance at a distance. Master Braz also invented a variation of boneca called boneca despresada that was originally given technical form by Didi dos Santos and his then partner Rebeca Rô Lang.
As natural leaders at that time (Master Braz won the coveted Champion of Champions competition) others followed their innovations. They took part in highly challenging marathons that sometimes lasted ten hours or more.
Master Braz’ presence at a dance event was always known, as right from the beginning he would often loudly clap out the rhythm of lambada on any dance floor, large or small. His ‘energia’ became is infectious to the dancers around him, and he developed a habit of grabbing tired, seated dancers joining them with a partner and forcing them back onto the dance floor.
In the mid 90’s, Braz developed technique for "stealing" a follower from another leader – a dance floor game in for advanced dancers of contemporary lambada. This style has become a staple of Lambada today.
Lambada Três[edit]
Master Braz often dances with more than one follower at a time. This began around 1986 in Boca Da Barra, when Braz was dancing with his then partner Isabel ‘Belinha’ Naraci. His sister Carmina was sitting on a table near the dance floor. She was tired and bored but, when a good song came on, Braz invited her to join him and his partner. They giggled about this, but after that incident Braz began to develop Lambada Três - a move where one leader leads two followers.
Over the years, Master Braz has continued developing and exhibiting complex, multi-partner skills. In 2011, at the Berg Congress, Master Braz performed with two followers at once - Maria Christiani and Julie Scheffer, mostly using a different ‘lead’ from each arm. For example, with one arm, he would be turning one follower in fast pirouettes, while with the other - leading the follower in a completely different pattern. At the Los Angeles Zouk Festival in 2013, he performed with 15 girls. At the Buenos Aires Dance Congress in 2015, he performed with over 20 girls[11][12].
Lambada Três: Master Braz dos Santos, Patricia Cruz and Josy Borges @ Dansabrasil Congress
World’s First Lambada Group[edit]
Well before Kaoma was formed, Master Braz created the first Lambada performance group in the world, called ‘Lambaxé’, consisting of three couples. The group consisted of Master Braz, Isabel (‘Belinha’), Didi Dos Santos, Gabriela, ‘Cobrina’ and Denise, and it often included lambada três, lambada quarto (with three followers), and lambada seis (five followers). In Lambaxé, he also developed Lambada Swing (changing partners mid-dance).
Performances and Partners[edit]
Master Braz’ most notable partners have included Marilei Da Silva, Isabel ‘Berlina’ Neraci, and Gabriela Turbaine (in Kaoma), Mariana Santos Rebouças (from Porto Seguro, also performed together in Sao Paulo), Josy Borges (from Porto Seguro), Patricia Cruz (from Curitiba), and Romina Hidalgo (from Buenos Aires).
Master Braz has presented workshops throughout the world with: Josy Borges (Sao Paulo, Israel, London, Porto, Barcelona, Amsterdam); Romina Hidalgo (Buenos Aires, London, Barcelona, Holland, Prague, Sao Paulo); Patricia Cruz (Porto Seguro, Zurich, Buenos Aires, London, Barcelona, Manchester); Ülle Adamson (Moscow, London); Adriana Coutinho (Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and demonstrations in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sydney, and Perth); Lena Thieme (demonstrations in LA, New York, Key West, Buenos Aires), and Taylor Tarn (performances in Los Angeles, New York, Atlantic City, Barcelona and Key West)
Brazouka, a Major Stage Show[edit]
In 2014, the story of Braz Dos Santos’ transition from teenage fisherman to international Lambada star became the subject of the international stage show Brazouka directed by Arlene Phillips, and produced by Harley Medcalf (Duet Productions) and Pamela Stephenson-Connolly. The show premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival[13], and has run in London[14], Johannesburg, Perth, Sydney[15], Melbourne and the Gold Coast[16][17]. A Brazilian ‘Brazouka’ Company was created, with a home in Porto Seguro[18], largely to provide opportunities for young Brazilian dancers.
Awards[edit]
In 2015, Braz Dos Santos was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Los Angeles Zouk Festival, as ‘World’s Best LambaZouk Performer’[19]. He was also given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Buenos Aires Dance Congress in 2013, and at the Brazouka Beach Festival in 2015. In 2017, he was honored for his lifetime achievement at the New York Zouk Festival. He and his brother Didi Dos Santos received Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2020 at the Lambada Festival in Vitória, Brazil.
Performances[edit]
Master Braz Dos Santos and Romina Hidalgo at Buenos Aires III Zouk Congress 2013
Master Braz dos Santos and Romina Hidalgo at Buenos Aires Zouk Congress in 2012
Master Braz dos Santos and Romina Hidalgo at Brazouka Beach Festival in Porto Seguro, Bahia in 2016
Master Braz dos Santos and Romina Hidalgo at LA Zouk Festival in 2017
Master Braz dos Santos and Romina Hidalgo at Beach Festival ZoukLambada in Barcelona in 2015
Master Bras dos Santos, Josy Borges and Beve at at London Dance Congress in 2009
Master Braz dos Santos and Josy Borges at the London ZoukFest 2014
Master Braz Dos Santos and Josy Borges at the Israel Zouk Congress 2013
Master Braz dos Santos and Romina Hidalgo at the LambaZouk Congress in Argentina in 2011
Master Braz Dos Santos and Patricia Cruz at the Prague Zouk Congress in 2012
Master Braz dos Santos and Romina Hidalgo at Prague Zouk Congress in 2014
Master Braz dos Santos and Patricia Cruz
Master Braz dos Santos and Romina Hidalgo at Berg's Congress, Porto Seguro, Brazil in 2013
Master Braz dos Santos and Romina Hidalgo at the London Lambazouk Dance Congress in 2009
Personal[edit]
Braz Dos Santos married Sylwia Anna Hadja-Forde in Brazil in 2010. They divorced in 2019. He has a son who resides in London - Amann Da Souza Nevis - from a previous long term relationship to Patricia Da Souza Nevis.
References[edit]
This article "Master Braz dos Santos" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Master Braz dos Santos. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ "Brazouka a seductive spectacle". The West Australian. 2014-10-27. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ↑ Edition, The Weekend (2014-12-10). "Brazouka Gold Coast | Events | The Weekend Edition Gold Coast". The Weekend Edition Gold Coast |. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ↑ "Pamela Stephenson and Arlene Phillips bring 'Brazilliant Dance Company' to Edinburgh Fringe | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ↑ "Pasión Project". Pasión Project. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
- ↑ "The American Lambada Organization". American Lambada Organization. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ↑ "Jack & Jill Competition". American Lambada Organization. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ↑ "Zouks You, Madam". Dance Today (UK). July 2014. July 2014.
- ↑ Béhague, Gerard. "The Lundu and Modinha of Brazil in the Nineteenth Century - College Music Symposium". symposium.music.org. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ↑ McGowan, Chris (2009). The Brazilian Sound, Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. ISBN 1592139299. Search this book on
- ↑ Pareles, Jon (1990-01-15). "Review/Pop; Lambada, Would-Be Craze by Way of Paris (Published 1990)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ↑ "Braz Dos Santos y 20 bailarinas. Buenos Aires III Zouk Congress. 3ª noche. - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ↑ "Braz y muuchas mujeres...Congreso de lambada zouk Bs As 2012. - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ↑ "Interview: Pamela Stephenson Connolly on bringing dance show Brazouka to 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe". Edinburgh Festival. 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ↑ "Review of Brazouka at New Wimbledon Theatre London". LondonTheatre1. 2014-09-16. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
- ↑ Blake, Elissa (2014-11-08). "Pamela Stephenson-Connolly and Braz Dos Santos present Brazilian dance show". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ↑ Edition, The Weekend (2014-12-18). "Brazouka | What's on the Gold Coast | The Weekend Edition". The Weekend Edition Gold Coast |. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
- ↑ Blake, Elissa (2014-11-08). "Pamela Stephenson-Connolly and Braz Dos Santos present Brazilian dance show". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
- ↑ "Brazouka resgata historia da lambada na cidade". Jornal do Sol: P1, 20. July 16, 2016.
- ↑ "Lifetime Achievement award to Braz LAZC 2016 ~ video by Zouk Soul - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
