the epicenter of samba de gafieira at the time was concentrated in botafogo, catete and downtown rio de janeiro, though it would later go on to gain prominence worldwide as the dance steps were adapted to accommodate different types of music.

musically, samba de gafieira is very percussive - even the brass section taps the rims of their horns to keep the rhythm - as per its dance-oriented vocation, the rhythms tend to be very quick; otherwise, the instruments are consistent with other kinds of samba.