Lambada

Category: Brazilian partner / specialty
Also known as: Brazilian zouk (related later evolution)
DWTS performances in dataset: 3
Average total score: 24.0
First appearance: Season 9, Week 4 — Aaron & Karina (Dr. Beat)
Lift rule on DWTS: Allowed (non-core / specialty style on DWTS).

Origins and history

Lambada became an international craze from Brazilian partner dancing in the late 1980s. Later Brazilian zouk evolved related close-hold social dancing. DWTS uses Lambada rarely as a specialty.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Lambada — Late-1980s Brazilian craze

How it is danced

Aspect	Detail
Time signature	4/4
Tempo (MPM)	Varies
Tempo (BPM, approx.)	Often mid-tempo pop/Latin
Character	Close-hold, wave-like torso; 1980s–90s Brazilian partner craze.
Hold / frame	Close embrace.
Basic steps & figures	Side basics with body waves; turns — show adaptations on DWTS.
What judges look for	Connection, hip/torso flow, musicality.

Competition tempi cite WDSF Competition Rules E.3.2 and related DanceSport charts where applicable; theatrical styles are song-driven.

History on Dancing with the Stars

Statistics below are computed from the Data with the Stars SQLite performance and score tables (not invented).

• Times danced: 3
• Score range: 18.0 – 28.0 (total judges’ score as stored)
• Perfect nights (every judging mark = 10): 0

Average score by era

Era	Performances	Average total
S1-10	3	24.0

Best scores

• 28.0 — S9 W4: Mýa & Dmitry — Ain't It Funny (Jennifer Lopez)
• 26.0 — S9 W4: Joanna & Derek — Dançando Lambada (Kaoma)
• 18.0 — S9 W4: Aaron & Karina — Dr. Beat (Gloria Estefan)

Lowest scores

• 18.0 — S9 W4: Aaron & Karina — Dr. Beat
• 26.0 — S9 W4: Joanna & Derek — Dançando Lambada
• 28.0 — S9 W4: Mýa & Dmitry — Ain't It Funny

Most-used songs

• Dr. Beat — Gloria Estefan (1×)
• Dançando Lambada — Kaoma (1×)
• Ain't It Funny — Jennifer Lopez (1×)

Charts

• Data CSV: data/lambada-by-season.csv
• SVG: charts/lambada-frequency.svg, charts/lambada-score-trend.svg

Watch top performances

• No linked YouTube clips in the dataset for this style yet.

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Educational fan reference. Dance histories paraphrased from cited sources; DWTS stats from project data. Not affiliated with BBC Studios or Disney.