the samba of rio de janeiro has its roots in the traditional popular music styles of lundu and jongo and the afro-brazilian dance music, 'batuque' and 'rodas de capoeira', from bahia.

the word 'samba' comes from the sensuous afro-brazilian dance called 'semb' or 'umbigada' - the heart of afro-brazilian culture in rio in the late 19th and early 20th century could be found in the neighborhoods around cidade nova, praça xi, and central do brasil, mostly populated by descendants of black slaves, many of whom were immigrants from bahia.