About the Event

All are welcome! No prerequisites or prior dance experience required.

In the first half hour of the event, participants will be invited to socialize in the lobby and through the main theater. The bar will be open and the Samba music will be playing!

In the next part of the event, you will be able to learn and practice the Samba de Gafieira with Armando Duarte! Easy to learn and fun to practice, plus accompanied by the vibrant and colorful music of Samba, one of the most well known musical expressions around the world. Along with learning social dance skills and partnering combinations, attendees are exposed to various performance elements related to the Afro-Brazilian diaspora, the origins of samba music in Brazil and its relevance for the Latinx culture.

About the Instructor 

Armando Duarte

UI Professor, Contemporary Choreographer and Researcher of the Brazilian Popular Culture Armando Duarte, a Brazilian/American citizen, holds a BS degree in Physical Education from the University of São Paulo and an MFA degree in Choreography and Performance from NYU (Tisch School of the Arts). Since coming to the UI in 1993, he has created 86 original choreographies plus re-staged works for companies and dance programs in the US, Brazil, and other countries, with more than half of his repertory being based or related to his native Brazilian culture. His academic research involves an in-depth investigation on the Brazilian popular culture of samba and carnival, for what he created theoretical and practice-based courses at the UI, such as Brazilian Culture and Carnival, and Brazilian Social Dance, the Samba. In the US, he has presented lectures and workshops on the subject at numerous universities, and conferences. At the UI he was a co-chair of the Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Charter Committee; a co-chair of the CLAS Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Strategic Planning Committee and is currently a member of the CLAS Executive Committee.