In 1824, Dom Pedro was crowned first Emperor of the newly independent Brazil. To help grow the economy, he invited Europeans to settle in unpopulated regions, beginning with the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. When he was succeeded by his son, Dom Pedro II, there was a second wave of immigration to the south to fill the need for plantation work left open by the abolition of slavery in 1888.1Of the European immigrants four percent (around 250,000) was German. In a bid to start a new life in Brazil, they formed colonies, creating 120 German-speaking cities.2 Along with their language and culture, they also introduced Schottische (Scottish), a celebratory dance performed by couples. Despite its name, Schottische is unrelated to Scotland; most likely it was one of several dances which grew out of the Zwiefacher, a dance originating in the Alpine region of today’s Germany, and which evolved simultaneously, and therefore variously, across peasant communities in Central Europe.3In its native Europe, Schottische was usually accompanied by the accordion, an instrument invented in Germany in the early 19th century. The dance was performed at weddings and parties. The music accompanying the dance is based on musical phrases of three or four beats, and the tempo can vary. The dance begins with the men and women standing facing each other. The men lead and approach their partners to form couples. The characteristic movement is a stroking of the feet on the floor, almost in imitation of a galloping horse, and the couples proceed to rotate, like in a waltz. The men extend their arms overhead, and the women turn their faces to the man before and after rotating.4 Tracing its origins in Brazil, it is believed that in the late 19th century Schottische left the German plantations and fields and entered the homes of Brazilian nobles. Here, the melodies were adapted for piano, a status symbol commonly found in wealthier households. Through this adaptation, characteristic musical features of Schottische evolved to resemble European art song traditions — something considered foundational to musical learning amongst the Brazilian elite. However, some, such as the composer Chiquinha Gonzaga (born 1847, Rio de Janeiro), also introduced local elements, including more danceable and cheerful melodies, which are present in her songs titled ‘Schottische’ from 1897.Eventually, new dance forms grew out of these experiments: Gonzaga would later popularise a local variation of Schottische called Maxixe in the Southeast. Maxixe however was quickly forgotten, possibly due to its level of difficulty.5 It was another variant called Xote, a simplified and faster adaptation of Schottische, that would endure. Xote is accompanied by the accordion and danced in couples. Instead of the ‘gallops’, the characteristic movement is of the woman spinning under the man’s outstretched arm.6By 1920 Brazil was no longer an empire, and as industrialisation drove the population from villages to the cities, Xote too left the fields of Rio Grande do Sul. Xote, unlike Schottische, is sung. The lyrics reflect love and life on the plantations, and folk beliefs. The mood is typically cheerful, although some dwell on sadness and loss. The singer Luis Gonzaga (1912–1989) is largely credited with popularising Xote in Brazil, and his songs retain their rural themes. His ‘O Xote das Meninas’, for example, draws on folklore, likening the growth of a mandacaru cactus to a girl coming of age.Today, Xote continues to be popular in Brazil, alongside other genres which grew out of Schottische, such as Forró, a Northeastern variation of simple, danceable melodies, with lyrics on themes such as love and nature. Recently Pisadinha, an evolution of Xote with a dash of Brazilian funk, has gained virality amongst young people via the TikTok social network. Unlike Schottische, Xote, or even Forró as it is performed today, the Pisadinha is danced alone.7In the 20th century, German influences in Brazilian architecture, art and society were gradually erased in line with government policy for creating a uniform Brazilian identity. As a result, today, few know that Xote, an artform seen as quintessentially Brazilian, in fact originated in Germany.