Terreiro Adalu – Roda de Samba
Where samba is at home · Adalu & Moods present
Samba heals and connects. It carries the strength of the ancestors into the present, and the magic happens with everyone who sings along and shares the moment. At Terreiro Adalu, everyone is welcome, no matter where you're from or how well you dance.
Since 2017, Terreiro Adalu has been the roda de samba series of the Zurich cultural association Adalu, turning Kaufleuten, Moods and Casi Casa into a circle of voices and drums – with guests such as Martinho da Vila, Mart’nália and Grupo Revelação. To kick off the new year, Terreiro returns to Moods: a whole afternoon and evening, from 4 pm until late into the night.
Set times
4 pm: Doors open & Brazilian food
4:15–5 pm: Samba no pé workshop with Nubia Siegenthaler
5–6 pm: Sambaqui – Set 1 (roda de samba)
6–7:30 pm: Sonic Sisters (Bimba & SLB) – DJ
7:30–8:30 pm: Sambaqui – Set 2 (roda de samba)
8:30–9:30 pm: Sonic Sisters – DJ
9:30–11 pm: Borogodó – band (stage)
11 pm–2 am: Sonic Sisters (Bimba & SLB) – DJ
Key facts
When: Saturday, January 9, 2027, 4 pm to 2 am
Where: Moods im Schiffbau, Schiffbaustrasse 6, 8005 Zurich
Tickets: CHF 42 at Moods (workshop, concerts and DJs included)
Who it's for: everyone who loves samba or wants to experience it live for the first time – no dance experience needed
Organisers: Adalu & Moods
Sambaqui
Along the Brazilian coast lie shell mounds thousands of years old: the sambaquis. For a long time they were thought to be rubbish. In fact they are memory, laid down layer by layer, generation after generation. That's exactly how samba was born: nobody made it alone. The Zurich band led by singer and composer Neya Castro travels through the diversity of Brazilian samba, from samba de raiz to the partido alto of Rio de Janeiro. At its heart is the roda: the band in a circle, singing together, call-and-response and improvisation. Here you don't just listen – you sing along. On stage are six musicians with roots between São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Lisbon and Switzerland: Neya Castro (vocals), Hatyla Gabriel (cavaquinho), Oliver Pellet (7-string guitar), Simone Santos (surdo), Carlos Assunção (percussion) and Juninho Ibituruna (drums). Their paths have led through samba schools such as X9, the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Paris scene.
Borogodó
Borogodó is what Brazilians mean when they say something has borogodó: that certain magic you can't explain but feel right away. The Zurich band plays the music Brazil celebrates to – from axé from Salvador to forró and pagode to piseiro, which rules the charts today. In between: funk classics, 80s rock and songs everyone in Brazil can sing along to. They love to play as a roda: the band in the middle of the crowd, music from every side. The musicians live in Switzerland and know both sides of their audience – Brazilians with saudade and Swiss who just want to dance. From the first song, the dance floor is full. Produced by the Zurich cultural association Adalu.
Samba no pé workshop with Nubia Siegenthaler
Nubia comes from Salvador da Bahia and has samba in her blood. With many years of dance experience, she teaches you samba no pé in a relaxed, accessible way: from the basic step to the hip sway, with rhythm, posture and technique. The workshop is open to all levels. No experience needed – just the urge to move and have fun. More than learning steps: here you'll feel the energy and joy of Brazilian samba.
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