ABOUT ME

Samarra Rodriguez is a Black American & Puerto Rican movement artist from the Washington Metropolitan Area, who draws influence and inspiration from her community to guide her practice, using dance as a form of liberation, expression and creation. Her journey into dance began at a young age when her mother enrolled her in tap classes at a local dance school. She soon transitioned into ballet, taking classes for fun until 2016, when she joined Classical Ballet Theatre (CBT) under the instruction of Cynthia Donavin. There she began intensive training in ballet, pointe, contemporary, and Horton Technique. During her time at CBT, Samarra performed works by Ronen Koresh, Iquail Shaheed Johnson, Marjorie Mussman and Lauren Edson. After CBT closed in 2019, she joined The Academy of Russian Ballet (ARB), where she trained in Vaganova Ballet Technique under Jasmine & Yuri Nikitenko. While at ARB, she frequently performed variations in the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) and was invited, alongside her peers, to perform the ensemble work Garland Waltz at the YAGP  Finals in 2022. Samarra’s pre-college training included summer intensives on scholarship at The Ailey School, Dance Theatre of Harlem and The Virginia Governor’s School for Visual and Performing Arts. In 2021, inspired by the multifaceted and unique artists she met at the Governor’s School, she decided to pursue dance as a career. Upon graduating high school, Samarra began studying for her B.F.A in Contemporary Dance and Performance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. There, she has continued rigorous training in ballet, pointe, modern (Limón, Horton, Graham), ballet partnering, modern partnering, improvisation and dance composition. Alongside her daily training, Samarra has developed a keen interest in somatic techniques such as yoga and Alexander Technique, with aspirations to become certified in both. Samarra has performed works at the Conservatory by Lydia Zimmer, Ruka White, and Andrew Skeels, as well as in student choreography, including commercial music videos and contemporary performances. Samarra has a strong passion for local and cultural community engagement. In 2024, she participated in an intercultural dance exchange and volunteer program called Juntos Abroad Guatemala, where she performed works by Omar Ramón de Jesús and the Jon Lehrer Dance Company, and taught dance classes in Spanish to children within local Guatemalan communities. In her free time, Samarra helps plan and host events that focus on creating accessible spaces for celebrating electronic dance & club music within the Boston community.