SAMBA
History
The Samba is a latin dance whose origins go back to Africa; the name derives from a Bantu word meaning 'to pray' and the dance itself is thought to have been a way of calling out to and worshipping the gods. It was modified throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States, and became popular in Europe in the 1920's. The first formal rules for the Samba danced in the ballroom competitions date to the 1950's. So modern Samaba is a mixture of African steps with Brazilian music and rhythms, giving us the Mardi Gras in the ballroom.
The dance
When watching the Samba, you should be transported to the carnivals of Rio. It's a very rhythmical dance which should have lots of bounce action, fluid hip movement throughout, but the dancers must move together in perfect unison.
There are lots of fantastically exotic sounding names for the steps used in the Samba, and the judges will be looking our for volta's and shadow volta's, botafogo's, shadow botafogo's and side-by-side botafogo's. Also expect to see the classic Samba rolls and shadow rolls - the dancers need to be loose and supple to achieve the correct look for these.
Strictly statistics
As at the end of Series 10 excluding Christmas Specials.
| Overall | Female | Couple | Male | Couple | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of dances | 79 | 40 | 39 | ||||
| Average score | 28.2 | 29.4 | 26.9 | ||||
| Highest score | 38 | 38 | Zoe & Ian (Series 3) | 38 | Matt & Aliona (Series 8) | ||
| Lowest score | 13 | 13 | Ann & Anton (Series 8) | 15 | Chris & Hanna (Series 1) | ||
| Number of 10s | 8 | 4 | 4 |
*For the calculation of averages, the score for any dances marked by five judges have been adjusted down to allow for fair comparison.
The best of Strictly
No perfect scores for the Samba so far in Strictly, but Zoe & Ian were the first to come closest with their joyous routine in Series 3, with an unexpected choice of music. Using the song 'Aquarius' from the musical "Hair", Ian choreographed a brilliant dance full of musicality and bounce, and choosing this as their latin dance for the final, scored 10's from both Len and Bruno with a total score of 38 points. In fact, Zoe was so good at the Samba, she was asked back the next year to perform with the professionals in a demonstration dance. Their score was matched in series 8 by Matt & Aliona with their Vegas inspired routine at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. Matt had been touted to score a 10 from the beginning of the series, and became the first male celebrity to score a 10 for the samba, actually being awarded two for the routine.
In Series 1, Natasha & Brendan scored the first 10 in Strictly history for their Samba danced to the "Strictly Ballroom" soundtrack song 'Love Is In The Air', but unfortunately, when performing the dance in the series final, Brendan's microphone cable got caught in the beading of Natasha's dress, and they were unable to produce the same level of performance.
The worst of Strictly
It is very difficult to master the Samba because of its changing rhythms and very bouncy feel, and so far it has produced some awful dances over the five series of Strictly, with one of the worst coming from the Jo & Brendan in the seventh series when they danced to "Superstition", despite Brendan trying to choreograph a routine to show Jo to her best advantage, she was off balance and couldn't keep up with the routine, and earning the comment "complete dance disaster" from Craig who awarded them just two points. In the very first series in the shape of Chris & Hanna's routine was danced to the theme from the "Austin Powers" film, and Hanna tried really hard to give Chris something he could enjoy by choosing a modern song, hoping this would improve his dancing, but it was really just plain awful, with little Samba content, meriting just 15 points from the judges.
Ann & Anton scored the lowest score ever for a Samba in series 8 scoring just 13 points, including a 1 from Craig, but it couldn't really be considered a samba as Ann refused to dance a lot of the basic steps, including samba rolls, as they were too suggestive, and for the most part she stood still or walked, and made no attempt to even try to work on the technique of the steps.
Scores for all Samba performances:
Series 1| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Lesley & Anton | Mas Que Nada | Week 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Martin & Erin | Crickets Sing For Ana Maria | Week 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 22 |
| Chris & Hanna | Austin Powers | Week 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 15 |
| Claire & John | Shake Your Bon-Bon | Week 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| Natasha & Brendan | Love Is In The Air | Week 5 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 37 |
| Natasha & Brendan | Love Is In The Air | Week 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 31 |
Series 2
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Sarah & Brendan | Kiss Kiss | Week 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 23 |
| Julian & Erin | Conga | Week 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Denise & Ian | Tequila | Week 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 32 |
| Roger & Camilla | We're Meant To Be Together | Week 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
| Jill & Darren | Copacabana | Week 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Aled & Lilia | It's Not Unusual | Week 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Denise & Ian | Tequila | Week 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 33 |
| Julian & Erin | Conga | Week 8 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
| Aled & Lilia | Walking In The Air | Christmas | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
Series 3
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Dennis & Izabella | La Bamba | Week 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 23 |
| Colin & Erin | Naughty Girl | Week 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| Patsy & Anton | Go Back To My Roots | Week 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| Zoe & Ian | Aquarius | Week 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| James & Camilla | All Night Long | Week 8 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 20 |
| Darren & Lilia | You To Me Are Everything | Week 9 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 29 |
| Zoe & Ian | Aquarius | Week 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 |
Series 4
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Ray & Camilla | I Don't Feel Like Dancing | Week 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| Emma & Darren | Maria | Week 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
| Louisa & Vincent | Rhythm Of The Night | Week 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| Peter & Erin | Use It Up And Wear It Out | Week 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
| Claire & Brendan | I Love To Love | Week 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 25 |
| Carol & Matthew | Club Tropicana | Week 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 34 |
| Mark & Karen | I Go To Rio | Week 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
| Matt & Lilia | Faith | Week 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| Mark & Karen | (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher | Week 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
| Matt & Lilia | Faith | Week 12 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 31 |
| Emma & Darren | I'm In The Mood For Dancing | Christmas | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
Series 5
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Gabby & James | Eso Beso | Week 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Kate & Anton | Dancing Queen | Week 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 16 |
| Kenny & Ola | Mujer Latina | Week 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 18 |
| Gethin & Camilla | More Than A Woman | Week 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| Penny & Ian | These Boots Are Made For Walking | Week 4 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 32 |
| John & Nicole | Sir Duke | Week 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Kelly & Brendan | Stayin' Alive | Week 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| Alesha & Matthew | (Reach Out) I'll Be There | Week 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 36 |
| Matt & Flavia | Blame It On The Boogie | Week 10 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 |
Series 6
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Arlene | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Rachel & Vincent | Hips Don't Lie | Week 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| Heather & Brian | Lola Lola | Week 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 23 |
| Mark & Hayley | Spice Up Your Life | Week 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 17 |
| Austin & Erin | Move Your Feet | Week 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| Christine & Matthew | Baila, Baila Conmigo | Week 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 |
| John & Kristina | Papa Loves Mambo | Week 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| Andrew & Ola | Ain't It Funny | Week 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 21 |
| Jodie & Ian | Help Yourself | Week 8 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
| Lisa & Brendan | Rock The Boat | Week 9 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 30 |
| Tom & Camilla | Mr Melody | Week 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
Series 7
| Judges scores | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Darcey | Len | Alesha | Bruno | Total |
| Jade & Ian | Independent Woman | Week 6 | 8 | - | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| Phil & Katya | Daddy Cool | Week 6 | 6 | - | 7 | 6 | 6 | 25 |
| Craig & Flavia | Give It Up | Week 6 | 3 | - | 6 | 4 | 5 | 18 |
| Ricky & Natalie | Good Lovin' | Week 6 | 8 | - | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| Jo & Brendan | Superstition | Week 6 | 2 | - | 5 | 3 | 4 | 14 |
| Laila & Anton | He's The Greatest Dancer | Week 6 | 7 | - | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Zoe & James | Boogie Nights | Week 7 | 7 | - | 8 | 9 | 8 | 32 |
| Natalie & Vincent | Holiday | Week 10 | 6 | - | 7 | 8 | 5 | 26 |
| Ali & Brian | Change | Week 12 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 44 |
| Chris & Ola | Cuba | Week 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 39 |
Series 8
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Len | Alesha | Bruno | Total |
| Patsy & Robin | Copacabana | Week 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
| Matt & Aliona | Young Hearts Run Free | Week 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 |
| Scott & Natalie | (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher | Week 8 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 32 |
| Ann & Anton | Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel | Week 8 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 13 |
| Gavin & Katya | Bamboleo | Week 11 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Matt & Aliona | Young Hearts Run Free | Week 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 |
Series 9
| Judges scores | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Jennifer | Len | Alesha | Bruno | Total |
| Lulu & Brendan | Sir Duke | Week 4 | 5 | - | 6 | 7 | 7 | 25 |
| Russell & Flavia | Better The Devil You Know | Week 5 | 4 | - | 6 | 6 | 6 | 22 |
| Harry & Aliona | I Wish | Week 6 | 8 | 9 | - | 8 | 8 | 33 |
| Anita & Robin | Come On Eileen | Week 8 | 6 | - | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Chelsee & Pasha | Spice Up Your Life | Week 8 | 8 | - | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 |
| Robbie & Ola | You Sexy Thing | Week 9 | 5 | - | 7 | 7 | 6 | 25 |
| Jason & Kristina | Blame It On The Boogie | Week 11 | 8 | - | 9 | 9 | 8 | 34 |
Series 10
| Judges scores | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couple | Song | Date | Craig | Darcey | Len | Bruno | Total |
| Victoria & Brendan | It's Not Unusual | Week 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 23 |
| Louis & Flavia | La Bomba | Week 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 |
| Lisa & Robin | Car Wash | Week 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| Kimberley & Pasha | Living La Vida Loca | Week 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 |
| Dani & Vincent | Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) | Week 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 |
| Michael & Natalie | Tequila | Week 9 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
All dances from highest scoring to lowest scoring
| Couple | Song | Date | Score* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoe & Ian | Aquarius | Series 3, Week 10 | 38 |
| Matt & Aliona | Young Hearts Run Free | Series 8, Week 12 | 38 |
| Matt & Aliona | Young Hearts Run Free | Series 8, Week 8 | 38 |
| Natasha & Brendan | Love Is In The Air | Series 1, Week 5 | 37 |
| Emma & Darren | Maria | Series 4, Week 6 | 36 |
| Mark & Karen | I Go To Rio | Series 4, Week 9 | 36 |
| Mark & Karen | (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher | Series 4, Week 12 | 36 |
| Emma & Darren | I'm In The Mood For Dancing | Series 4, Christmas | 36 |
| Alesha & Matthew | (Reach Out) I'll Be There | Series 5, Week 9 | 36 |
| Dani & Vincent | Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) | Series 10, Week 8 | 36 |
| Ali & Brian | Change | Series 7, Week 12 | 35.2 (44) |
| Jill & Darren | Copacabana | Series 2, Week 5 | 35 |
| Zoe & Ian | Aquarius | Series 3, Week 5 | 35 |
| Tom & Camilla | Mr Melody | Series 6, Week 11 | 35 |
| Chelsee & Pasha | Spice Up Your Life | Series 9, Week 8 | 35 |
| Carol & Matthew | Club Tropicana | Series 4, Week 9 | 34 |
| Jason & Kristina | Blame It On The Boogie | Series 9, Week 11 | 34 |
| Kimberley & Pasha | Living La Vida Loca | Series 10, Week 7 | 34 |
| Denise & Ian | Tequila | Series 2, Week 8 | 33 |
| Harry & Aliona | I Wish | Series 9, Week 6 | 33 |
| Claire & John | Shake Your Bon-Bon | Series 1, Week 5 | 32 |
| Denise & Ian | Tequila | Series 2, Week 5 | 32 |
| Colin & Erin | Naughty Girl | Series 3, Week 5 | 32 |
| Louisa & Vincent | Rhythm Of The Night | Series 4, Week 6 | 32 |
| Matt & Lilia | Faith | Series 4, Week 10 | 32 |
| Penny & Ian | These Boots Are Made For Walking | Series 5, Week 4 | 32 |
| Austin & Erin | Move Your Feet | Series 6, Week 5 | 32 |
| Jade & Ian | Independent Woman | Series 7, Week 6 | 32 |
| Ricky & Natalie | Good Lovin' | Series 7, Week 6 | 32 |
| Zoe & James | Boogie Nights | Series 7, Week 7 | 32 |
| Scott & Natalie | (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher | Series 8, Week 8 | 32 |
| Lisa & Robin | Car Wash | Series 10, Week 7 | 32 |
| Chris & Ola | Cuba | Series 7, Week 12 | 31.2 (39) |
| Natasha & Brendan | Love Is In The Air | Series 1, Week 8 | 31 |
| Matt & Lilia | Faith | Series 4, Week 12 | 31 |
| Aled & Lilia | It's Not Unusual | Series 2, Week 5 | 30 |
| Aled & Lilia | Walking In The Air | Series 2, Christmas | 30 |
| Gabby & James | Eso Beso | Series 5, Week 4 | 30 |
| Rachel & Vincent | Hips Don't Lie | Series 6, Week 5 | 30 |
| Christine & Matthew | Baila, Baila Conmigo | Series 6, Week 5 | 30 |
| Lisa & Brendan | Rock The Boat | Series 6, Week 9 | 30 |
| Darren & Lilia | You To Me Are Everything | Series 3, Week 9 | 29 |
| Kelly & Brendan | Stayin' Alive | Series 5, Week 8 | 29 |
| Matt & Flavia | Blame It On The Boogie | Series 5, Week 10 | 29 |
| Louis & Flavia | La Bomba | Series 10, Week 5 | 29 |
| Laila & Anton | He's The Greatest Dancer | Series 7, Week 6 | 28 |
| Patsy & Robin | Copacabana | Series 8, Week 8 | 28 |
| Lesley & Anton | Mas Que Nada | Series 1, Week 5 | 27 |
| John & Nicole | Sir Duke | Series 5, Week 8 | 27 |
| Gavin & Katya | Bamboleo | Series 8, Week 11 | 27 |
| Anita & Robin | Come On Eileen | Series 9, Week 8 | 27 |
| Patsy & Anton | Go Back To My Roots | Series 3, Week 5 | 26 |
| Ray & Camilla | I Don't Feel Like Dancing | Series 4, Week 6 | 26 |
| Gethin & Camilla | More Than A Woman | Series 5, Week 4 | 26 |
| Natalie & Vincent | Holiday | Series 7, Week 10 | 26 |
| Claire & Brendan | I Love To Love | Series 4, Week 8 | 25 |
| Phil & Katya | Daddy Cool | Series 7, Week 6 | 25 |
| Lulu & Brendan | Sir Duke | Series 9, Week 4 | 25 |
| Robbie & Ola | You Sexy Thing | Series 9, Week 9 | 25 |
| Julian & Erin | Conga | Series 2, Week 5 | 24 |
| Michael & Natalie | Tequila | Series 10, Week 9 | 24 |
| Sarah & Brendan | Kiss Kiss | Series 2, Week 5 | 23 |
| Roger & Camilla | We're Meant To Be Together | Series 2, Week 5 | 23 |
| Julian & Erin | Conga | Series 2, Week 8 | 23 |
| Dennis & Izabella | La Bamba | Series 3, Week 5 | 23 |
| Heather & Brian | Lola Lola | Series 6, Week 5 | 23 |
| Jodie & Ian | Help Yourself | Series 6, Week 8 | 23 |
| Victoria & Brendan | It's Not Unusual | Series 10, Week 5 | 23 |
| Martin & Erin | Crickets Sing For Ana Maria | Series 1, Week 5 | 22 |
| Russell & Flavia | Better The Devil You Know | Series 9, Week 5 | 22 |
| Andrew & Ola | Ain't It Funny | Series 6, Week 7 | 21 |
| James & Camilla | All Night Long | Series 3, Week 8 | 20 |
| Peter & Erin | Use It Up And Wear It Out | Series 4, Week 6 | 19 |
| Kenny & Ola | Mujer Latina | Series 5, Week 4 | 18 |
| Craig & Flavia | Give It Up | Series 7, Week 6 | 18 |
| Mark & Hayley | Spice Up Your Life | Series 6, Week 5 | 17 |
| Kate & Anton | Dancing Queen | Series 5, Week 4 | 16 |
| John & Kristina | Papa Loves Mambo | Series 6, Week 5 | 16 |
| Chris & Hanna | Austin Powers | Series 1, Week 5 | 15 |
| Jo & Brendan | Superstition | Series 7, Week 6 | 14 |
| Ann & Anton | Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel | Series 8, Week 8 | 13 |
*The score for any dances marked by five judges have been adjusted down to allow for fair comparison, so the score in this column is the adjusted score followed by the actual score in brackets.