samba fusion

Samba Fusion is a Vancouver-based Dance Group whose roots are based in Carnaval-style Brazilian Samba (Samba no Pé). Under the creative direction of Co-founder Carine Fortunato, Samba Fusion has been a fixture in Vancouver for over 10 years. The oldest and largest Samba-focused group in Vancouver today, their offerings include samba classes and workshops taught by choreographer Halie Scaletta, live percussion events, professional appearances, and more. They have been invited to perform at festivals, corporate events, and celebrations across North America as far North as Iqaluit, and as far South as Las Vegas. Samba Fusion would like to acknowledge that Samba comes from Brazil's Black people, and to dance Samba is to pay homage to the liberation, resistance, and celebration of the people of Brazil. Samba Fusion's mission is to share their passion for Samba to the world through their connection to Brazilian culture and their love of its many forms.

Carine Fortunato

Founder, director, performer, instructor

In 2009, Carine helped found Samba Fusion (formerly Samba Roots) in order to share Samba No Pé and its cultural fusions with Vancouver and the lower mainland. Currently acting director and booking agent, Carine, a Brazilian-born professional dancer, makes sure that Samba Fusion delivers the authentic Brazilian experience to our professional clients and samba students alike. A passista (carnival samba performer) of the Perola Negra Escola de Samba in São Paulo, Carine knows what it means to be a passista, and helps keep the true meaning of samba alive! Her instruction includes the history of samba and Afro-brazilian dance. Tracing samba back to its roots, she keeps up-to-date not only on what’s hot in Brazil, but what significance samba holds in Brazilian culture.

Halie Scaletta

Performer, instructor

A professional dancer from Las Vegas, Nevada, Halie moved to Vancouver in 2014. While looking for work in the lower mainland, Halie came across an audition for Samba Fusion’s professional roster and found true love in samba and Brazilian culture. Since then, she has put in work to make sure that our professional team is up-to-date on the samba stylings straight from Brazil, and makes sure to network and learn from global names in samba and education. In 2018 she made the journey to the National Samba Queen Competition in Phoenix, AZ, where she brought the “top 10” title back to Vancouver two years in a row. When she’s not performing professionally, Halie is teaching our beginner’s classes and coaching our professional team. From beginners to seasoned professionals, she can find the samba and bring it out of every individual she trains.

Looking to join our professional team?

We are always excited to add passistas and dancers-in-training to our roster.

Passistas