Rio 2016 have selected street dancers to perform at the Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies ©Rio 2016

A wide selection of street dancers have been added to the list of performers for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, it has been announced.

Organisers, who are still recruiting for entertainers to exhibit their work during competition, as well as at both Ceremonies, attended a baile charme - a form of street dancing backed by soul and RnB music - performance last month.

After witnessing what the dancers had to offer, they opted to select all of them to perform during both Ceremonies at the Olympics.

They recruited over 100 dancers who will have a key role in the Ceremonies at the Maracanã Stadium.

The Opening Ceremony is due to take place on August 5 and the Closing Ceremony on August 21. 

The musical style, which draws on sixties soul and modern RnB, is extremely popular in Brazil, particularly in Rio de Janeiro.

It sees the dancers perform a range of technical and acrobatic techniques in a mass participation routine which Rio 2016 hope will display the best of the city’s culture at the Games.

The majority of the performers come from neighbourhoods across Rio’s north zone, an area generally poorer than those located in the south zone of the city.

Performances of baile charm take place under a motorway flyover in the working class neighbourhood of Madureira, with participants travelling across the city and from further afield to take part.

They have been staged every Saturday since the 1990s.

The dancers will show their talents to the world during the Rio 2016 ceremonies
The dancers will show their talents to the world during the Rio 2016 ceremonies ©Rio 2016

“You all dance so well, you were amazing,” choreographer Renata Vieitas, who is helping select the Rio 2016 ceremonies cast, said after witnessing the performance.

“Together we’ll show Rio’s culture to the world."

Rio 2016 are continuing with their hunt for more than 1,600 artistic and sporting performers, who are set to entertain crowds at competition venues during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Olympics is billed as a "unique opportunity for artists and sports-people who want to showcase their work to a global audience".

Organisers are looking for performers from a variety of different fields to show off their talent during competition intervals.

This could include singers, musical bands, jugglers, capoeira groups, cheerleaders and other types of performers, from Brazil and other countries.