Meet Quˆenia Ribeiro

For Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month, AILEY celebrates Quênia Ribeiro, an Ailey Extension instructor who has been teaching Afro-Brazilian dances in New York for nearly three decades. 

How long have you been a teaching artist at Ailey Extension? 

I was the first samba teacher at Ailey, and I’ve now been teaching here for 20 years. It has truly been an honor to contribute to Alvin Ailey’s legacy of making dance accessible to everyone. I deeply believe that dance is for all people—everybody carries their own unique expression within their body. Even when guiding students through technique, I strive to remind them that the beauty of dance lies in freedom, individuality, and joy. This also reflects the spirit of the dances I teach from my culture—dances created by ordinary people, carrying community, resilience, and joy in every step.

Tell us a little bit about your history in Rio de Janeiro and your research into and practice of Afro-Brazilian dances, which you’ve taught all over the world. What has been a consistent focus or interest of yours in your dance research and teaching practice?

I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, where my foundation began in both ballet and Brazilian folkloric traditions. I also grew up around capoeira, which has been a lifelong influence on my movement and teaching. Over time, I gravitated more towards Afro-Brazilian dances—samba, samba-reggae, and other forms that carry the rhythm and spirit of the African diaspora. A consistent focus for me has been preserving the roots and integrity of these dances while also sharing their cultural and historical context with students. My research always leads me back to the same question: How can I honor the ancestry, axé, and social fabric that gave birth to these dances while also creating space for people from all backgrounds to connect with them meaningfully?

You’ve been teaching samba and Afro-Brazilian in New York since 1997. What has sharing these styles taught you about their ability to connect with people no matter their background?

Teaching in New York has shown me that samba and Afro-Brazilian dances speak a universal language. Regardless of someone’s cultural background, when they hear the rhythm and begin to move, something opens inside them. I’ve seen students from all over the world discover joy, freedom, and a sense of belonging through these dances. That’s the magic of Afro-Brazilian culture, it carries both resilience and celebration, and it invites everyone to participate in that energy. 

You also incorporate your knowledge of ballet and capoeira into your practice. Is hybridizing different styles and dances important to you? What does it reveal about the shared and different roots of different dances?

Yes, bringing ballet and capoeira into my practice has always been important to me, because it allows me to honor the multiple influences that shaped me as a dancer. Dance is my life, and these influences shaped not only my techniques but also the way I move and create. Ballet gave me discipline and technique, while capoeira introduced me to the martial, playful, and spiritual side of Afro-Brazilian culture. These influences even continue to inform how I move in my capoeira practice today. When I combine these approaches, I see how different lineages intersect—some through shared African roots, others through colonial history and resistance. For me, hybridizing is not about diluting traditions, but about highlighting their dialogues and reminding us that dance is always evolving, just as culture itself is.

As we’re celebrating Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month, how important is cultural pride to your own dance and teaching? How do you see that idea of diverse cultural pride being welcomed and celebrated at Ailey Extension?

Cultural pride is central to my work. I grew up in a time when Afro-Brazilian dance was not always valued within the larger dance community, but I chose to follow that path anyway. That decision shaped not only my career, but also my sense of self. At Ailey Extension, I see that same spirit of celebration—it’s a space where diverse cultural traditions are not only welcomed but lifted up. Students get to experience dance not just as technique, but as living culture, carrying history, ancestry, and identity.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your teaching, dancing, or experiences at Ailey Extension?

I’d like to emphasize gratitude—for the students who trust me to share my culture with them, and for Mr. Ailey’s vision of creating a platform where dance truly belongs to everyone. I want to continue being a cultural educator and invite more and more people to learn about Brazilian culture, because it is so rich. New styles continue to develop from every state in Brazil, and I want people to feel the love and joy that come from Brazilian dance and the arts.