The international ballroom version of samba is a lively, rhythmical dance. It differs considerably from the original samba styles of Brazil; in particular, it differs from Samba de Gafieira, a partner type of Samba in that country.

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The ballroom samba is a partner dance.

The ballroom samba is danced to music in ²
₄ or ⁴
₄ time. For dance competitions and examinations, the recommended tempo is 48-56 bars per minute. It uses several different rhythmic patterns in its figures, with cross-rhythms being a common feature. Thus, for three-step patterns, common step values (in beats) are:

When danced certain rhythms from the above, the dance features a bouncing action, with body elevation occurring at the last 1/4beat of the first bar.^[1]