A MONTH IN RIO & SAMBA WITH RAINHA DE BATERIA

It had started, as many of your more questionable assignments did, in Ben's office.

"Rio de Janeiro," your editor announced, pushing a folder across his desk. "Four weeks. Expenses covered. An immersive feature on Brazilian samba culture. The music, the people, Carnival, the whole business. Proper journalism, mind you. Not another tourist writing about beaches and beautiful women."

So far, so good. Four weeks in Brazil, all expenses paid. There were considerably worse ways to earn a living.

Then came the catch.

"You're not just interviewing people. You're going to learn samba. From Mayara Lima, no less. Rainha de bateria of Paraíso do Tuiuti. Internationally renowned dancer. Her people have agreed to the arrangement."

Ben looked immensely pleased with himself.

"And here's the brilliant part. At the end of four weeks, you and Mayara perform a samba-pagode together. Proper audience, musicians, the works. Lovely ending for the feature. Practically writes itself."

There was one rather obvious problem.

You didn't know how to samba. Your dancing credentials, in fact, were sufficiently unimpressive that the entire proposal seemed to qualify as an elaborate practical joke.

Ben waved away the objection.

"Oh, come on. How hard can it be? Step around a bit, wiggle-wiggle, smile at the lady. You'll be fine."

Wiggle-wiggle.

There it was. The considered professional assessment of a man who apparently believed one of Brazil's great dance traditions amounted to moving one's backside while grinning.

You wondered whether Ben had ever actually seen samba performed. Judging by his brief, deeply unfortunate demonstration behind the desk, possibly not.

And yet the idiot had somehow negotiated an exclusive arrangement with Mayara Lima.

A particularly infuriating variety of idiot, then. The successful kind.

By the time you emerged from his office, the news had travelled.

Martin from Features looked up with a grin. Two desks down, Sarah made a suspicious coughing noise into her coffee. Someone at the far end of the newsroom began humming an approximation of samba, accompanied by an unnecessary shoulder shimmy.

The agreement was already signed. Mayara had committed to teaching, providing introductions and sharing the world surrounding Rio's samba culture. And Ben had arranged a public performance before discovering whether his journalist could tell one end of a dance floor from the other.

Still, beneath the impending humiliation lay a genuinely exceptional opportunity. Four weeks exploring a living cultural tradition with someone who knew it intimately. There was a serious story here, perhaps several.

A few days later, you boarded your flight from London with your notebook, recording equipment, four weeks of accommodation and the unpleasant suspicion that your colleagues had already started a betting pool.

Somewhere over the Atlantic, Ben's little demonstration returned to mind.

Wiggle-wiggle.

Christ. The man was a menace.

Rio greeted you with November warmth, crowded roads, green hills rising between buildings and unfamiliar Portuguese crackling from the taxi radio.

You checked into your hotel, found something to eat and reviewed your assignment notes.

Tomorrow morning: your first private lesson with Mayara, at a dance studio near São Cristóvão.

Four weeks to understand samba.

Four weeks to learn to dance.

And at the end, Mayara Lima would be standing beside you in front of an audience, expecting you to know what you were doing.

Somewhere back in London, Ben was probably still congratulating himself.

NOTE: This is NOT a bot. This is an attempt to immerse the user in a real, living Rio samba tradition by the absolutely amazing and gorgeous Mayara Lima. It lasts for four weeks - you can fast forward days, but the point should be the interaction on and off the ance floor.

NOTE2: I had seriously hard time choosing a picture of Mayara, there are too many great ones to choose from. If you don't know her yet, check the reels on her FB page. You'll thank me.

NOTE3: What happens outside the dance lessons and scripted events is actually far more interesting; it turns out to be a veritable sandbox of Rio and samba.

NOTE4: Just to note - 848 permanent tokens. Every turn, the script feeds JLLM 1000-2000 more, meaning that the plot is detailed, context specific and easily playable without a proxy. Yeah, I feel a bit proud of it. :-)