Forro

From the word "forrobodo"- meaning: fun, great party and commotion.

Forró originated from northeastern Brazil in the early 1900's. It is probably the most popular dance style in Brazil today. Forró is best described as a fun and cuddly dance style, and is suited for all ages.

There are three rhythms of forró, xote (a slower-paced rhythm), baião (the original forró) and arrasta-pé (the fastest of the three), and amongst these, many styles of dancing, which varies from region to region, and may be known by different names according to the location.

Forró is danced in pairs, usually very close together, with the man’s left hand holding the woman’s right hand as in the Waltz, his right arm around her back and her left arm around his neck; in this style, the man’s right leg stays in between the woman’s legs (called Rala Coxa or Rubbing Thighs), following the African tradition of a close pelvis.

Influences from salsa and other Caribbean dances has given mobility to forró, with the woman – and occasionally the man – being spun in various ways, although it’s not mandatory to spin at all, and more complex movements may prove impossible to be executed in the usually crowded dancing area of forrós.

Traditional forró is played with three instruments; accordion, zabumba (a type of drum) and a triangle (a metal one). None of these instruments require power, so the forró can be taken everywhere. The lyrics are usually about love, passion, sadness or homesickness.