Dançar Gostoso! Europeans Tell of their Sexiest Forró Dances

 It’s a slow song, but hearts are thumping wildly. Lips trace an earlobe, sweat merges on shirt fronts, fingers clasp, unclasp, intertwine. What can make a dance so stimulating that some girls say they’ve come close to orgasm? When is it so intimate that it becomes a temporary, feigned falling-in-and-out-of-love?

Yes, forró is on a tear through Europe. Ask dancers why it’s getting so popular, and they’ll talk it up as a community activity — it’s less show-offy than salsa, they say, and the dancers, known as forrozeiros, form smaller, more welcoming tribes. A significant minority of the dancers are also just addicted to Brazilian music. But what they rarely mention, except maybe after a few caipirinhas, is the opportunity to slither their bodies against each other, to experience something that’s intensely romantic — but just-for-pretend. (That said, a lot of dancers do hook up and even find love.)

So to look at the sexier, sometimes-less-acknowledged side of forró, I asked readers of my blog and forrozeiros on forums to share their sexiest moments on the dance floor. Oddly, only women sent in answers. Here’s exactly what they said (translated into English in a few cases, and names have been changed).

This article was originally published over at Tipsy Pilgrim. Forró teacher Camila Alves thankfully re-emphasizes an important point in the comments below; please read it too. The purpose of forró is not sexual, it is, again, passion or romance just-for-pretend. The stories recounted here are the rare exceptions.

Carrie, UK: My sexiest forró moment was during a forró-reggae song, pressed tightly against an extremely sexy black Brazilian with dreadlocks and an amazing body.

Eva, Central Europe: My sexiest dance was at my very first forró festival. Leading a dance was a new experience for me; until then I had just been a follower. An absolutely wonderful lady came up to me and told me she was upset about something that had happened that evening. I was so carried away by her beauty that I wanted to do whatever it would take to make her smile again. So I gently hugged her and we started moving to the music.

She was a great dancer; she could follow anything I did. The way she looked at me gave me more and more confidence. I was able to do some figures, and everything I tried worked well. It was so great to hold her and feel that she would follow my every move. I got more free and creative and we remained together for three or four more songs. In the end, she not only smiled, she kissed me! It’s not that difficult to make a woman happy. You just need to listen to her — even if she’s not speaking!

Jenny, UK: My hottest dances are usually with people who really know how to move, and especially with Brazilians. I get turned on when a man gyrates, when he puts his leg between mine, when he kisses me and gets a hard-on…

Luna, Catalonia: There’re guys who just barely touch you and yet it’s extremely sexy. It’s not about how a guy moves, but rather it’s about my mood, and who I’m dancing with. There’s nothing specific that a guy should do. Sometimes you feel his heart racing during a xote [slow song], and that’s a turn on. Sometimes you feel his erection, and it’s very hot — but that could also of course be very annoying, depending. I don’t care about the feel of a guys’ legs, but I love touching his hands and his neck.

A forró dancefloor has a different energy than an orgy, where there’s just sex everywhere. Forró is about the internal moment that can happen between two dancers — and then just disappear. It’s great to have this experience and that afterwards nothing else happens necessarily. You can escape from the world, have an adventure, get turned on, and then relax and dance with someone who won’t get you at all turned on.

My sister tried forró and found it to be an invasion of her space. She couldn’t understand it. You have to get over that attitude, or else just not dance forró.

Lidia, Catalonia: Once a man whispered to me that he liked the way he could wrap his hands all the way around my body. I adored the compliment; it made me feel thin and attractive.

Maria, Brazilian in France: Forró becomes a sport, or more than that, even. A really good dance with someone is like sex. If you dance with a hundred men it gives you the same adrenline as if you’ve just had sex. There’s a game of seduction, there’s contact with a man’s skin. But at the same time, you respect society’s rules, you respect people’s relationships.

I can dance all night and still have energy the next day. But, oddly, if I don’t go dancing the night before — and even if I get eight hours of sleep — I’ll be tired.

Sarah, UK: One guy quite nearly gave me an orgasm while dancing. He knew the exact angle to position me against his leg. He went ka-chunk — pushing me down against his leg — and ka-chunk — pulling me up against him. Then he held the small of my back and moved me. Wow.

A Final Reminder…

As noted in the intro, this covers just one aspect of forró. For the uninitiated, before you go thinking that this dance is all about sex, orgasms, and flirting, please see read Camila’s comment below.