ZAMBA (Music): The national dance of Argentina is not, as most people think, the tango (which emanated from a small dockland district of Buenos Aires called La Boca), but "la zamba". In Argentine Spanish, this is pronounced exactly the same as "Samba", but could not be more different in every way: musically, rhythmically, temperamentally, in the steps of the dance and in its costume. It has six beats to the bar and is a very majestic dance, performed by couples who circle each other waving white handkerchiefs very elegantly. Zambas are composed about every subject, ranging from those whose lyrics celebrate people or events from Argentine history, to those which describe the beauty of a region, or of its women; there are zambas of political protest and even one called "Aerolineas Argentinas" (can you imagine a pop-song called "British Airways"!) The drum called bombo legüero, mentioned elsewhere in this encyclopaedia, is prominent in the playing of the zamba. To hear examples, you can go to:

http://www.boleadora.com http://www.folkloredelnorte.com