Samantha is a kizomba DJ, instructor, music producer and organizer.

 

A native Winnipegger, Samantha has been dancing for the past 13 years, training under nine-time world champions Regan and Harold for six years.  Samantha is a gold medal winner for team bachata at the national level and silver medal winner at the international level, and has competed in the Bachata Cabaret couples division at the professional world-class level.

 

It was in 2015 when Samantha discovered kizomba, first being exposed to the dance during workshops at salsa congresses in Canada.  She immediately fell in love with the music, and spent the next eight years listening almost exclusively to kizomba and Urbankiz music.  This would ultimately prove to be the preparation for her to become a kizomba DJ.

 

During the pandemic, Samantha began to train more intensely in kizomba and UrbanKiz, and eventually began teaching in Canada. She has learned from many of the best UrbanKiz instructors in the world, including: Rina and Derrick, Audi and Pam, Azzedine, Val’r and Steffy, Ledoux, Enah and Pocahontas, Jojo and Jenny, Gwany, Dawou, Jack and Sara, and Dwé and Gaby.  She has gone through JP and Stephy's teacher training twice, first as a follow and again as a lead.

 

Samantha travels to kiz festivals across North America and Europe to keep up to date on the latest moves and techniques.  She is passionate about sharing her knowledge with others and helping people become the best dancers they can be.  Samantha is patient and meets her students where they are at to give them the best experience possible.  She specializes in teaching clean technique, solid fundamentals and breaking down body movement, helping her students lay the foundation to grow in their dance.

 

When not teaching or dancing, you can find Samantha, a.k.a. DJ SAvvy, behind the deck spinning the lastest tracks from Europe.  SAvvy started her dj journey in 2022, and has since thrown herself into her work, training with some of the best kizomba dj’s in the world, including T’Peak, DJ Paraiso, DJ Snakes and DJ Shark.  She has DJ'd at some of Canada's top events, including the Calgary Salsa Congress, as well as multiple NeoKiz events.  She has been fortunate enough to be invited to play multiple times in Europe, and has DJ'd in Paris, Madrid, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Bedburg, Germany.  Most recently, SAvvy has started in music production, releasing her first collaboration piece with DJ Shark in December of 2023.  SAvvy is constantly updating her music to bring you the best tracks.  She is passionate about sharing her love of kiz through music.