Samba de Gafieira
Last week I was invited by my former dance teacher to perform a number in some presentations. Those were last Saturday.
Before that, before going to Japan, I used to attend ballroom dancing classes. Mostly Brazilian rhythms, but I can dance others like waltz as well... maybe not that well... ah, whatever. And sometimes there were some dance presentations (NOT competitions... I'm not that good)...
But it's been a while since the last time I danced, so it was more than natural to be a little rusty. Fortunately, after some practice we managed to do it. Some mistakes, but the overall was ok I guess...
The rhythm was "Samba de Gafieira". Similar to the "common definition" of samba (sometimes they can be mixed), but danced in pairs (couples). Well, I'm not posting any picture or movie... I have none of that presentation anyway. I'll link some You Tube vids just in case. But these are pros.
One of the presentations was to a group of Okinawan students as part of an exchange program between my university in Brazil and another university in Okinawa (Meio University). Two of them will stay as exchange students (or have been staying as I've heard) until next year. It was fun when we invited them to join the dance. Some learned pretty quickly. And there were their presentations of Okinawan dance (forgot the name now...) and other events.
But, as that was my first time in a while to have a chance to talk to Japanese people (actually living in Japan) in a while, I was planning to practice Japanese with one of the exchange students. As we start to talk, I realized that, although I was trying my best to talk in Japanese (yeah... my Japanese level is worse than before, even though it's not worse as ever), he was always answering in Portuguese.
Simple words, sometimes with gestures, but in Portuguese...
Then I remembered when I was in Japan. That time, I wanted to talk in Japanese as much as possible. But, not rarely, some people insisted on talking to me in English... Maybe because I was a foreigner, maybe because they wanted to practice their English, maybe because they knew/thought that my Japanese level wouldn't do... whatever. But sometimes it was frustrating.
I don't look so much like a foreigner (foreigner-looking people suffer more with this I suppose), and English is not even my first language...
Now I was at the other side of the story... and doing the same things!? Hell, no. This time I give up. They deserve more to practice Portuguese than I to practice Japanese in this kind of situation...
Before that, before going to Japan, I used to attend ballroom dancing classes. Mostly Brazilian rhythms, but I can dance others like waltz as well... maybe not that well... ah, whatever. And sometimes there were some dance presentations (NOT competitions... I'm not that good)...
But it's been a while since the last time I danced, so it was more than natural to be a little rusty. Fortunately, after some practice we managed to do it. Some mistakes, but the overall was ok I guess...
The rhythm was "Samba de Gafieira". Similar to the "common definition" of samba (sometimes they can be mixed), but danced in pairs (couples). Well, I'm not posting any picture or movie... I have none of that presentation anyway. I'll link some You Tube vids just in case. But these are pros.
One of the presentations was to a group of Okinawan students as part of an exchange program between my university in Brazil and another university in Okinawa (Meio University). Two of them will stay as exchange students (or have been staying as I've heard) until next year. It was fun when we invited them to join the dance. Some learned pretty quickly. And there were their presentations of Okinawan dance (forgot the name now...) and other events.
But, as that was my first time in a while to have a chance to talk to Japanese people (actually living in Japan) in a while, I was planning to practice Japanese with one of the exchange students. As we start to talk, I realized that, although I was trying my best to talk in Japanese (yeah... my Japanese level is worse than before, even though it's not worse as ever), he was always answering in Portuguese.
Simple words, sometimes with gestures, but in Portuguese...
Then I remembered when I was in Japan. That time, I wanted to talk in Japanese as much as possible. But, not rarely, some people insisted on talking to me in English... Maybe because I was a foreigner, maybe because they wanted to practice their English, maybe because they knew/thought that my Japanese level wouldn't do... whatever. But sometimes it was frustrating.
I don't look so much like a foreigner (foreigner-looking people suffer more with this I suppose), and English is not even my first language...
Now I was at the other side of the story... and doing the same things!? Hell, no. This time I give up. They deserve more to practice Portuguese than I to practice Japanese in this kind of situation...
8 comments:
Hey twinkle toes!
I love that you know how to ballroom dance! You think you know someone!! haha. Oh you are SO teaching me a few steps when you get back to Japan.
Enjoy!
xxx
... And my teacher was so disappointed when we (another girl who went to Okinawa and me) said that we almost didn't dance at all there... She was really crazy about us "teaching" (informally) there. Even recieved some CDs as farewell present.
As I said, I'm better with Brazilian rhythms, but never was against teaching. Just never very good at it.
yeah i want lessons 2!!!お願いします！
Hey!! Until when do you want to test our "clone-power"?? I cannot believe that you can dance Samba de Gafieira too... Actually, I didn´t make any presentation, but I have tought some Samba to some germans too... God! xP
Shell, maybe I should open a school then... heheh... Hope things went well w ur embedding.
Clone... I can't believe that even without even hearing from each other we still and up doing the same things... or almost. Gafieira you dance in pairs. Although I know samba and perhaps may teach the basics, I'm not very good myself in it.
That's why I didn't teach in Japan. Guess ballroom dance isn't very popular there. But, you see, maybe I'll have students when I return... hauhauaha!
And write on your blog about what you've been doing!!!
hehehe...
oh, sorry. I didn´t taught samba, but samba de gafieira. I don´t know how to "sambar"... it´s too dificult. Curious thing, in Germany they think that we, brazilians, know how to dance salsa better than samba. Interesting, isn´t it? And the funniest thing: I´ve learned salsa in Germany... hahahahahha ^.^
Salsa is better than tango, isn't it? At least in Japan I had no problems with which dance Brazilians are famous about...
And I've studied German in Japan...
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