Back to the Beginnings: the 2023 Edition of the International Samba Congress Will Take Place in Los Angeles in July

One of the main events for the cultural promotion of samba and Brazilian rhythms is back in full force! The International Samba Congress (ISC) will return to the face-toface modality where it all began, in the magical city of Los Angeles, U.S.

Created and hosted since 2017 by Samba ‘N’ Motion, the non-profit organization led by Brazilian psychologist Dr. Ana Laidley, the congress will bring together the main referents of samba and other rhythms that are part of the rich Brazilian culture. It will be a true immersive experience with dance workshops, lectures, tourism and cultural highlights led by professional instructors who want to share their knowledge and heritage with congress attendants.

“We started this very special adventure in 2017 here in Los Angeles, but with the vision to host this meeting annually in different places, since our students travel far and wide to take classes with Brazilian instructors. I have lived in the U.S for over twenty years and there is nothing that motivates me more than spreading my country’s culture wherever I go”, says Ana, who uses dance as an alternative therapy in the treatment of illnesses such as depression and panic disorder, for example.

Heiress of the talented Brazilian musician Carlinhos do Pandeiro and Ana Gomes, a samba dancer who was part of the iconic group “Mulatas do Sargentelli”, Aninha Malandro, as she is known in the world of samba, grew up breathing the genre that today is a cultural reference for Brazil across the world. Creator and artistic director of Samba N’ Motion and Malandro N’ Motion, she was appointed in 2021 as Samba Ambassador of Estação Primeira de Mangueira and of the Associação dos Passistas Brasileiros Cyro do Agogô, both an honour and a responsibility to expand even more her mission to share the significant cultural legacy left by those who were the pioneers of samba.

The cultural entrepreneur explains her decision to hold this year’s edition of the ISC in the United States

“We had to adapt to a new reality and, even so, we never stopped hosting the Congress. During the pandemic, we saw how important it was not to give up and we held the ISC virtually, which was a real challenge and a great learning experience for us who understand that, at that moment and in all subsequent years, the connection between body, soul and mind was sorely needed”, added Aninha Malandro.

The post-pandemic reality was also challenging for them due to the economic crisis that still plagues the world and that requires moving into a hybrid form that benefits from the expertise acquired in the ISC online platform - they have added a subscription format with online classes every saturday. Aninha ends by telling us that “Now the time has come to go back and gather everyone in the city where the project was born”.

Confirmed to take place from July 14th to 16th at the Mid-City Arts Center, in the city of Los Angeles, California, the ISC will bring together artists like Fábio Batista, Marcelo Chocolate, and Mayombe Massai, in addition to the presence of always original Milton Cunha. All in all, 40 Brazilian professionals will be at the event leading workshops on the different modalities that make up the rich universe of Brazilian rhythms. Registration for the International Samba Congress 2023 is open on the event’s official website: www.internationalsambacongress.org