Brazilian Beats

Brazilian Beats is an all-levels dance class focusing on popular Brazilian dances like samba-de-roda and samba reggae. This class will introduce students to the basics of these traditional styles in a fun, high-energy environment. Ideal for capoeira students who want to improve their samba skills. Co-taught by Kaitlyn Jolly and Rebekah Fowler.

 

Kaitlyn Jolly is first and foremost a lover and a lifelong student of dance. She has been studying Samba, Capoeira Angola and other forms of Afro-Brazilian dance since 2002. She started performing in and around her home town of Boston, MA in 2005 with an independent collective of dancers and in 2007 with Bloco Afro Brazil (afrobrazil.org) at clubs, private shows, universities, parades, community events, music festivals and brazilian showcases.

She has studied Orixa movement, “samba no pé” and samba reggae with Isaura Olivera, Danielle Lima and most recently Rosangela Silvestre and Ananda at California Brazil Camp (calbrazilcamp.com) Since her move to Austin in September 2009, she has been truly blessed by the community of drummers and dancers of The Austin Samba School and is now pleased to be a part of Capoeira Evolução. She is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and enjoys the opportunity to blend her passion for fitness and love for dance.

 

 

 

 

An avid student of Brazilian dance since 1995, Rebekah Fowler continues to study and share the dance traditions of Rio, Bahia, and beyond. Since 2000, she has been teaching students how to samba “like they do it in Brazil,” focusing on footwork, technique, and the Brazilian spirit of “alegria e charme” (joy and charm). Rebekah has worked in the United States and the United Kingdom as a performer, choreographer, and teacher of Brazilian dance for all ages and skill levels.

She is one of the dance directors of the Austin Samba School, one of the largest samba schools in the U.S. She is also a licensed Zumba® fitness instructor and enjoys transforming her fitness classes into a dance-party workout and having fun with students on the dance floor. She has trained in Brazil and the U.S. with Rosangela Silvestre and members of the renowned Brazilian dance companies Balé Folclórico da Bahia and DanceBrazil. In addition to showing her students just how fun Brazilian dance and dance fitness can be, she also works as a translator (Spanish/Portuguese > English).