SambaScots is a workshop and cultural gathering created by Carlo Alexandre to explore Brazilian rhythm, music, movement and collective practice.

Rooted in his experience as a Capoeira Angola master, musician, composer and educator, SambaScots brings the musical world of the roda into dialogue with samba and other Afro-Brazilian rhythmic traditions. The sessions can explore pandeiro, percussion, singing, body percussion, Samba de Roda, Cabula, Maculelê and the rhythmic connections between samba and Capoeira.

Rather than approaching Brazilian percussion simply as a collection of rhythms to reproduce, SambaScots focuses on listening, understanding, movement and participation. Participants learn through the body, developing rhythmic awareness, coordination, musicality and confidence while discovering the cultural context and traditions from which the music emerges.

The relationship between rhythm and movement is central to the work. The pulse of the music, the movement of the body and the collective energy of the group become interconnected, creating a practical experience of Brazilian musical traditions that is both accessible and deeply rooted.

SambaScots also creates a meeting point between different communities in Scotland, bringing people together through music, movement and shared learning. Sessions are open to different levels of experience, from people discovering Brazilian instruments for the first time to musicians and Capoeira practitioners wishing to deepen their understanding of rhythm and musical connection.

For Carlo, music is an essential part of the transmission of Capoeira and Afro-Brazilian knowledge. His work as a composer, performer and teacher, together with decades of experience in Capoeira, informs the way SambaScots approaches rhythm: not simply as technique, but as a way of listening, communicating, remembering and building community.

SambaScots is an invitation to find the rhythm, understand where it comes from, and discover what happens when music and movement become a shared experience.