Gafieiras have been a strange constant in Rio’s life. Strange is a strong word but in this case it is true, because they have been in a constant re-discovery process since the late seventies, the time when Lost Samba, this blog’s book, took place.

What are Gafieiras?

They are samba dance halls with live music playing a style of samba that takes the same name.  Nothing has changed much since the 1930’s or 20’s in terms of venues, the kind of musicians, and the songs. The dance is the closest samba gets to salsa, and actually the Gafieira is the closest that Rio gets to Havana, the parallels are undeniable.  It is a very authentic, lively and healthily sexy experience.

These clubs in the seventies were where the middle class re-encountered “the people”. At the end of the military dictatorship people wanted to forget the foreign imports and wanted to feel Brazilian again…