Bossa nova the singing voice. Prior to bossa nova, Brazilian singers employed brassy, almost operatic styles. Now, the characteristic nasal vocal production of bossa nova is a peculiar trait of the caboclo folk tradition of northeastern Brazil. The lyrical themes found in bossa nova include women, love, longing, homesickness, nature. Bossa Nova was often apolitical. The musical lyrics of the late 1950s depicted the easy life of the middle to upper-class Brazilians, though the majority of the population was in the working class. However, in conjunction with political developments of the early 1960s (especially the 1964 military coup d'état), the popularity of
Sequence dance – also occasionally seen as 'Old Tyme' – (now referred to as 'Classical'), 'Modern' or 'Latin' with the dividing line being somewhere in the early 20th century. New sequences are being devised all the time and the number which have been published as scripts is currently (in 2010) standing at over four thousand. Old-time (Classical) dances: Old-time Waltz, Country dance, Quadrille, Galop, Polka; Saunter, Gavotte, Two Step, Mazurka, Schottische, Cakewalk. Modern dances: Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Quickstep Latin-American dances: Rumba, Cha-cha-cha, Samba, Jive, Paso Doble, Bossa Nova, Salsa, Mambo. Regular competitions are held between dance teachers to decide which newly created