Vernon_and_Irene_Castle_dance_Maxixe_in_two_sketches_by_Marguerite_Martyn_1914

The maxixe (), occasionally known as the Brazilian tango, is a dance, with its accompanying music (often played as a subgenre of choro), that originated in the

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ian city of

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in 1868, at about the same time as the tango was developing in neighbouring

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and

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. It is a dance developed from Afro-Brazilian dances (mainly the lundu) and from European dances (mainly the polka). Like the tango, the maxixe travelled to

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and the

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in the early years of the 20th century. The music was influenced by various other forms including the Spanish tango, lundu, polka and habanera, and is danced to a rapid 2/4 time. Pianist Ernesto Nazareth composed many Brazilian tangos; he was known for blending folk influences into his tangos, polkas and waltzes. He resisted using folk terms for his compositions; he preferred ''Brazilian Tango'' to ''maxixe''.Ernesto Nazareth's Polkas and Tangos.
The maxixe was one of the dances that contributed to

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havi ...

dance styles (such as samba de gafieira) and lambada. Vernon Castle said of the maxixe in his 1914 book ''Modern Dancing'', "The steps themselves are not difficult; on the contrary, they are childishly simple; it is the easiest dance of all to do, and I think the hardest of all to do well."Castle, Vernon "Modern Dancing" (1914) pg 107 - Accessed at the Library of Congress.
/ref> Troy Kinney (1914) wrote the following about the Maxixe: Troy Kinney, Margaret West Kinney (1914) "The Dance: Its Place in Art and Life" (

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, digitized by

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This is, virtually, a revival of the Two-step, plus certain Tango steps and ''enchainements'' (step sequences). Instead of the Tango's touch-and-turn-in of the foot, it employs a device of resting the heel on the floor, the foot pointed upward, while the body assumes a bent-over posture not particularly attractive.

References

{{reflist

External links

Example of dance in YouTube

Brazilian styles of music Brazilian dances Tango dance Polka derivatives

See also

References

External links