Esi Samuels | Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth

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Esi Samuels, born and raised in NYC began cultivating her love of dance at the age of four. At the Lola Louis Creative and Performing Arts School, a deep love for music and dance across the African diaspora began. Alongside her academic studies at Riverdale Country School, Esi continued her dance training at the Ailey School, later joining the MOVE|NYC| Young Professionals Program in NYC. Simultaneously, Esi was able to connect with her roots in Ghana and Montserrat by tapping into the diverse Afrodance community in NYC, taking part in various open classes and eventually joining DWP Academy. She currently studies dance at the University of Southern California and spent the beginning of 2024 dancing in Accra, Ghana.

Through a career in dance, Esi wishes to explore the world! Thus far she has had the opportunity to perform nationally and internationally as a resident dancer with Everyday People, experiencing countries like Brazil, South Africa, Senegal, France, and the United Kingdom, through the lenses of performance and festival-style events.

Esi has worked very consistently with DJ and producer Uncle Waffles in festivals such as Coachella, Afronation, and Osheaga and in her NYC headline shows. Additionally she has worked with the likes of Adekunle Gold, Olamide, and Wyclef Jean. She plans to continue building her commercial relationships, dancing in live shows as well as music videos.

Subsequently, Esi has learned how impactful content creation and social media can be, cultivating an engaged audience and a contemporary portfolio demonstrating her artistic evolution.

Esi Samuels - Photo by Lee Gumbs

Esi Samuels - Photo by Lee Gumbs

Esi Samuels - Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth