The Afro-Brazilian samba is rooted in Angola via the West African slave trade. By the early 20th century, the samba became the quintessential dance form associated with Rio de Janiero's pre-lenten Carnival Festival, where beautiful
passistas (female samba dancers) in pheasant-feathered headdresses gyrate their hips wearing extravagant bustiers embroidered with intricate beading and Swarovski crystals. Rio comes to the Hudson Valley on Saturday, September 17. Egili Oliveira, one of Rio's top passistas, will instruct a two-hour Rio-style samba class at
Mountain View Studio in Woodstock. The workshop is from 1:30pm–3:30pm and costs $50. No experience is necessary.
