mambo was not invented in rio de janeiro, nor brazil, in fact, like many ballroom dances, it originated in cuba in 1930 and was created by a dancer called arsenio rodríguez.

rio de janeiro first caught sight of mambo 20 years later during the 1950s and adopted it with zeal -stars such as perez prado and mongo santamaria began recording brazilian inspired tunes in new york, based on the dance steps of mambo. 

the musical style can be found in in the marvelous city, most commonly many in ballroom dance schools which offer classes involving the genre.