Levanta Samba

Levanta Samba is a Montreal-based samba school and dance company founded in 2007 by Raquel Bastazin. The studio teaches Brazilian dance — samba at its root — grounded in a philosophy that treats samba not as spectacle but as technology for personal and collective transformation. Raquel developed her own pedagogy over twenty years of practice, creating an approach described as playful, horizontal, and bold: you are met exactly where you are, and taken somewhere you wouldn't have dared go alone.

Classes run at all levels. In spring, the studio offers Samba Beginner sessions (12 weeks, $300 cash) at two locations: Milton District on Mondays 7pm–8:30pm at MAI — Montréal, arts, interculturels (Studio 223, 3680 Jeanne-Mance St.); and NDG on Saturdays 1pm–2:30pm at Ballet Hop (5674 Sherbrooke St. W). An intermediate/advanced Samba Drill class runs Wednesdays 7pm–8:30pm at Station Clark (4529 Clark St., Suite 003) for $325 cash. Summer programming includes Ginga — the foundational samba sway, open to complete beginners — on Mondays 6:30pm–8pm, and Mandinga, an intermediate class exploring fluidity and musicality, on Wednesdays 6:30pm–8pm. Both summer sessions are part of the Bloco na Rua project, which offers optional performance opportunities but never requires participation.

The studio works with the symbolism and energy of ancestral archetypes rooted in Afro-Brazilian mythology, treating these not as spiritual decoration but as concrete tools for reconnection. Classes are designed for women of all ages: wisdom is transmitted and multiplied when different generations share the same space. There is no ideal body, no blueprint, no upgraded version of yourself waiting at the end — what exists is you.

Levanta Samba is also an active dance company. Since 2007, the company has performed at major events including Zeca Pagodinho in Montreal (2023), the Los Angeles Samba Congress (2019), and won first place at the Toronto Samba Congress Competition (2018). They have performed at Montreal Pride (2019, 2022), the Nuestroamericana Friendship Parade (2018, 2023), and collaborated with cultural institutions including C2 Montreal (2023) and ARTV on a virtual reality samba project (2018). The company also books for events: you can hire Levanta dancers for performances featuring samba, forró, and capoeira.

Raquel Bastazin is also a skilled Pilates and Essentrics instructor, and the studio offers private lessons and workshops for companies that blend samba dance, Essentrics, and Pilates tailored to your needs. The studio's mission is to provide a place where everyone can have fun, learn something new, and connect with the community through the transformative power of music and dance.

You'll enter a class where samba is treated as a conversation with yourself, not a performance. Raquel's teaching is clear, embodied, and accessible — you are met exactly where you are. Whether you're exploring ginga (the foundational sway) as a complete beginner or working on fluidity and musicality in an intermediate class, there is no judgment and no ideal body. Moving is a political act of existing in your body without asking permission.

Raquel Bastazin, founder and artistic director, brings over 20 years of practice and 16 years of teaching experience. She is an instructor at the Los Angeles Samba Congress, received Best Choreography recognition at the Toronto Samba Congress in 2018, and is also a skilled Pilates and Essentrics instructor. Most of Montreal's samba teachers came through her transmission.

Ginga is open to everyone, even those who have never danced before; the studio explicitly welcomes absolute beginners with no judgment.