Australian samba dancers9/21/2023 ![]() When I turned 21, I graduated from University and got a job as an English teacher at an international college in Brisbane where there were lots of Brazilian students. ![]() Being interested in all of these cultures and languages definitely helped my journey towards learning Portuguese, but more on that later! I was studying to be an English language teacher at University and was doing a Languages and Linguistics degree majoring in French, Spanish and Japanese. I was completely enchanted and my love affair with Samba and Latin dance was born! I had never seen dancing or heard music like that before, and watched in awe as some of their performers started Samba-ing to the drums - they were so confident, feminine and beautiful. "What is this magical culture, this infectious rhythm and these incredible body movements? Where have they been all my life?!” We learnt a little bit of Merengue, Salsa and Bachata, and at the end of the class they taught Brazilian Samba to live drumming. They taught an ‘Intro to Latin styles’ class followed by a dance party, and I instantly fell in love with the vibrancy of South American music. My first experience with Samba was when I was 18 years old (way back in 1998!) and I went to a Latin night at a dance academy in Brisbane, Australia. We asked her a couple of questions and we hope you get inspired by her journey! Let's Talk About Samba! She has been featured in Brazilian National Media like Rede Globo TV, Vogue Brazil, local print and online media and when she returns to Australia, "all eyes are on local star Mishel", the Australasian Queen. We fell in love with this queen and have been her #1 fan since then!Įvery time Mishel is in Brazil during carnival season, the local media "clicks" are all over her! Mishel had stunning samba photos that were breathtaking, and we just had to use them for our app! We had the pleasure of working with Mishel way back in the early 2000's when we were about to launch a mobile app that was dedicated to samba. There is something very unique about Mishel when she teaches: she will help you explore your talents, self expression, and above all, she will boost your body confidence and self love, along with teaching you authentic samba from Rio. She is the inspiration for so many students in Australia who want to learn how to dance samba with mastery. This diva, queen and majestic samba lover is the embodiment of true roots samba, with a commitment and passion for her dance community. If you combine the words samba, Australia, queen and mentor, there is only one person who comes to mind - Mishel Jemma Finlayson!
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