ABOUT VANCOUVER SAMBA SCHOOL

Yulia Terekh – Samba Instructor

Vancouver Samba School (VSS) is founded by Yulia Terekh, a true passionate dancer and performer of Latin and Afro-Brazilian cultural dances, and a dedicated Capoeira martial artist. It’s through Capoeira she fell in love with Brazilian Samba in 2011. Since then, Yulia has performed in various Latin and Afro-Brazilian shows in Canada and internationally, she has taken workshops and classes with the world renowned dancers and professionals from Brazil, Europe, Latin and North America, performed in various venues and paraded multiple times in Afro-Brazilian Carnivals in Vancouver. Yulia continues to expand her knowledge and skills in dance and cultural aspects of samba in order to pass it down to her students and all interested. VSS is founded to further promote Brazilian culture and the beauty of Brazilian samba dance in Vancouver by offering Beginner and Intermediate classes for public, as well as granting performance and international trips opportunities to Samba Congresses and Samba Carnival in Rio de Janeiro for all students.

Our mission is

to build a community of passionate samba dancers in Vancouver and BC, to support all interested in learning about samba, Afro-Brazilian dances and Brazilian culture in general; to offer dance lessons where we share the beauty of samba and the culture; to show by example that samba unites and is opened for everyone.

ABOUT SAMBA

Samba is deeply rooted in Afro-Brazilian culture and traditions. The word “samba” originates from Kimbundu language “semba” (umbigada) which describes a choreographic move in which two people touch bellies as an invitation to dance . “Samba is a product of the sorrow of the slaves and their descendants. ‘Samba is the father of pleasure and the son of pain,’ composer Caetano Veloso once said, whilst the poet Vinicius de Moraes wrote: ‘To make a samba with beauty it takes a lot of sadness.’ But Samba uses music and passion to transform that sorrow into joy.”

ABOUT YULIA & DANCE

Yulia grew up being a gymnast back in USSR and found her passion in Capoeira (Brazilian Martial Art) and Afro-Brazilian dance back in 2011 when in Canada.

2006 – 2010 Learned and performed all styles of dances, incl. Sexy stilettos, Hip-Hop, Belly Dancing, Port De Bras, Modern.

2009 – 2013 Taught Burlesque style classes in Russia and Canada (Sexy stilettos).

2013 – present – performed Afro-Brazilian dances all around the world (Samba no Pé , Maracatu, Coco de Roda, Afro, Maculele, Colheita, Ciranda, other)

2015 – 2020 Performed Latin dances internationally (Salsa, Bachata, Latin fusion)

Yulia: “I enjoy the process, the dance, the class, and I fully resonate with the culture of samba and capoeira. I get inspired when seeing people’s progress and smiles in classes, and I am excited to see my students on stage!”.