Samara Atkins is an Oakland native creative who has been dancing and teaching hip-hop since 1999. She utilizes dance as a somatic tool to address, connect, celebrate, release, cope, and heal from life’s experiences. Simply put, she finds pure joy in sharing her love and passion for dance with others. Not only has she been a choreographer since the age of 14 and directed a student-run dance company at Howard University while attending, but has really focused on evolving the pieces she creates to tell an impactful story. 

She is member, Lead Choreographer, Singer/Songwriter, and Emcee of the GRAMMY-winning, and 4-time GRAMMY-nominated hip hop children’s music collective, Alphabet Rockers. Traveling to Mexico, China, Thailand, Nepal, and Vietnam to showcase, teach, and share her love of dance with other cultures, her passion is to perform and teach youth and the community to freely express themselves with confidence.

Samara has performed in various dance companies including New Style Motherlode, Diamond Dance Company, Neopolitan, Dance 10, St. Mary's Dance Ensemble, Vizion Performance Team, and Carla Service's Dance-A-Vision. She has also back-up danced for Nile Rodgers and the band Chic, as well as danced for LUAM, whose choreographer credits include Busta Rhymes, Rihanna, Janelle Monae, Kelly Rowland & more.

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Samara is currently a senior teaching artist and mentor through Destiny Arts Center, where she has worked since 2011. Other roles include Lead Co-Facilitator of Power of Hope Bolinas, staff at Living Jazz as Faculty at Jazz Camp West and Head Counselor at Jam Camp West, Host, Youth Worker, and creator of Good, Body, Love, a line of organic and healing body butters. She is offering consistent dance class pop-ups at multiple studios in the Bay Area. Please consistently check Inthegroovestudios.com and her social media outlets for up-to-date class information.