Sam Svensk is an emerging artist with a particular affinity for nature, dogs, and anything that moves her!  She grew up training competitively in Ballet (R.A.D.), Modern, Jazz, HipHop, and Contemporary, where her passion for the art form was instantly apparent.  These days she teaches, performs, and creates dance in the Fraser Valley and Vancouver areas whenever possible.  Sam is a graduate from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts where she majored in Dance.  It was during her training at SFU where Sam acquired a deep knowledge of the Graham and Cunningham techniques, various Ballet techniques, on top of gaining invaluable choreographic and performance experience.  Additionally, she has since trained with Catalyst Dance, as well as continuing to train and perform with ModernLee Dance Company.

As a dancer, Sam has had the pleasure of working with various choreographers renowned both locally and internationally.  More recently, she has worked with Lee Kwidzinski, Judith Garay, Amber Funk Barton, The 605 Collective, Rob Kitsos, and Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg.  Her own choreographic works have been seen in I’ll Decide and Ascension 2.  In 2011, Sam was the honoured recipient of the Mission Muse Emerging Artist Award, for having been a part of various creative processes within her community.

Sam’s experiences in dance have led her to see the art form as a powerful tool to heal the soul and build connections with others.  This philosophy brought her to the Expressive Arts Therapy program at Langara.  As of July 2016, Sam will be a certified Expressive Arts Therapist, and she is thrilled to be able to integrate some of this work in her teaching practices.  As a dance educator, she believes it is her responsibility to inspire her students as both dancers and young people, instilling within them a sense of confidence, as well as passion and respect for the art of dance.  She strives to connect with every student as an individual, always encouraging them to be the best they can be.