About Me

I’m Liani Devito, originally from Santos, a coastal city in São Paulo, Brazil, where samba is less something 

you learn and more something you grow up breathing.

My dance journey began in my teenage years through Capoeira, training with Mestre Fábio Parada, while building a strong connection with Afro-Brazilian culture and rhythm. Later, I moved to the United States, where I taught Latin Ballroom at Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Houston, Texas — an experience that gave me strong technical foundations and shaped the way I teach movement today.

Since 2010, London has been home. I trained intensively for four years at Pineapple Dance Studios in Jazz, Latin, Commercial and Samba, and since 2021 I have been proud to teach there as the resident Brazilian Samba instructor.

Over the years, I have performed across the UK and internationally, appearing at festivals, cultural events, TV productions, and music videos — including work with Basement Jaxx. My performances and teaching have taken me to France, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Australia, and the United States, and I have also featured in BBC interviews discussing Brazilian samba culture.

In London’s carnival scene, I was part of Paraíso School of Samba from 2016 to 2023 as a passista, later becoming Rainha de Bateria (Queen of the Drums), joining the teaching team, and leading my own ala for four consecutive years at Notting Hill Carnival.

To keep my teaching connected to the highest level of authentic samba, I travel to Rio de Janeiro every year, 

where I train and parade as a passista with leading samba schools:

• Acadêmicos do Salgueiro (2022–present)
• Estácio de Sá (2022–2023; 2024–2025)
• Império da Tijuca – Madrinha dos Passistas (2022) and Passista (2018–2021)
• Unidos de Vila Isabel (2020–2021)
• Império Serrano (2019)

Training and parading across different schools and directors has given me deep insight into samba’s culture, 

discipline, and performance standards. Being part of Salgueiro — under the direction of Carlinhos Salgueiro 

— reflects a level of excellence I continuously bring into my teaching.

Alongside dance, I am also a Senior Lecturer in Biosciences — which perhaps explains why I 

teach samba with equal parts structure, detail, and joy.

For me, samba is culture, identity, essence, fitness, expression, and community all at once.

Start your journey today! 

Vamos sambar!

Axé

Liani