It’s been a minute, but we are slowly (and safely) bringing back the funk.

#SAMBACHURCH RETURNS

OUTDOOR POP-UP DANCE CLASSES

When: Sunday November 1st, 15th & 29th from 2pm-3:30pm
Where: De Fremery Park, Oakland
How to register: EventBrite 

Safety:

• Class will be open to the first 30 dancers who register
• Maintain 6 feet social distance
• Wear a mask
• Please read and adhere to the full safety protocol, available here.

#SAMBACHURCH RETURNS!

#SambaChurch returns …on Zoom! Each week we come together again as a community and connect to our joy and culture through dance.

When: Every Sunday 4-5:15pm PST
Where: Zoom meeting ID 849-2952-1463
How to register: Send $10 via paypal (sambafunky@gmail.com) or venmo (@theoaytchan)

This coming Sunday, MAY 10th there will be a special class dedicated to all of our BEAUTIFUL MOTHERS!

DAILY WELLNESS ACTIVATIONS & DANCE BREAKS 

Join us M-F for Instagram pop-ups @sambafunk. Look for the “live” sign on our profile pic or on the stories navigation at the top of the app. The posts disappear after the live session is over.

6:30am #bodycharge. Recharge your battery, devote time for yourself, awaken and connect your Mind Body & Soul.

4pm dance break. 30 minutes (or so) of African Brasilian music and movement to improve your mental and physical health and shift your day.

OAKLAND CARNIVAL

For the health of our community, we are postponing the Oakland Carnival outdoor festival scheduled for June 6th, 2020. We are looking at ways to recreate the Oakland Carnival spirit online. Stay tuned for updates as this experience takes a new form.

#SAMBACHURCH RETURNS!

#SambaChurch returns …on Zoom! We’ll come together again as a community and connect to our joy and culture through dance.

When: Every Sunday (starting April 26th) 4-5pm PST
Price: $10. Please send via paypal (sambafunky@gmail.com).
How to sign up: Register here to save your spot. Once you register, you’ll get a confirmation email with the meeting link and login info.

DAILY DANCE BREAKS

Join us M-F at 4pm each day for pop-up daily dance breaks. To join, follow us on Instagram (@sambafunk) or Facebook.

How it works:

On Instagram, we go live at 4pm. Look for the “live” sign on our profile pic or on the stories navigation at the top of the app. On Instagram, the posts disappear after they are live.

On Facebook, you can go to our page at 4pm if you don’t see the link pop up in your feed. On Facebook these live events are saved to the timeline, so you can go back and watch later if you miss it right at 4pm. (If you’re already Facebook friends with Theo, you might have accessed the pop-up classes through his personal page. But starting next week the dance breaks will move to the public SambaFunk! Facebook page).

WELLNESS ACTIVATIONS

Join us at 6:30am M-F (on Instagram only) for daily #bodycharge. We are also on day 4 of a 30-day Hydration and 100 Squats challenge. It’s not too late to join! Recharge your battery, devote time for yourself, awaken and connect your Mind Body & Soul.

PATREON UPDATE

We’re still working on developing Patreon classes. The intention of these will be to share specific choreo tutorials. We’ll post an update again when these are ready. Thanks to those who have already signed up!

SAMBAFUNK! ONLINE EXPERIENCES

The team at SambaFunk! and OHa Living has been getting creative and working hard to create online experiences that…

Train our bodies, feed our souls, move our feet, and exercise our minds.
Help us to live holistically and pain free with Good Heath, Good Thought and Good Breathing.
So we can charge our energy, raise our vibrations and Shine, Shine, Shine.

To access these new, upcoming experiences, please sign up to become a patron via Patreon.com.

Here’s how it works:

– You can sign up at different levels depending on what you are looking for: Samba and Brasilian/Carnival dance classes, Body Charge energizing workouts, or a full nutritional and spiritual program.

– As a patron, you are signing up in advance to support the creation of this content, which you will be able to access on your own schedule via the Patreon site as soon as it’s available.

– You can sign up “per creation” which means you are supporting every creation that gets made, or you can set a monthly limit for how many creations you are willing/able to support each month. Whatever you can do is most appreciated.

– By signing up now, in advance, you are supporting our artists to continue their vital work in this time of uncertainty, as well as supporting your own health and wellness and our SambaFunk community.

OTHER RESOURCES

There’s a lot going on in the social media realm, including some free/preview classes. Make sure you follow SambaFunk! on Instagram and Facebook. And if you’re practicing samba on your own, you can always access our playlists on YouTube.

WEEKDAY WARRIORS – Join us tonight, Wednesday March 11 from 6pm-7:30pm at Westlake Middle School, 2629 Harrison Street. As Carnival nears, Wednesdays are a great opportunity to go over choreo and technique in a more intimate environment. You can find us in the Band Room  — the building with white pillars at the top of the parking lot hill. 

#SAMBACHURCH – Join us next Sunday March 15 from 4-6 at the Malonga.

Guest Choreographer Stepmaster Vernon Jackson will be teaching again on March 22nd ….he will be teaching the Funk choreography for Carnaval 2020. You do not want to miss Vernon!

Don’t forget to support our drummers by bringing fruit, water and snacks to share and/or contributing $2-$5 to the Drum Fund when registering for class.

NEWS AND EVENTS

We are all thinking about COVID-19 and what we can do to keep ourselves and our community safe. The CDC is a great source of guidance on what steps we should all take. For SambaFunk, please make sure to:

• Wash your hands well and often
• Stay home from class, rehearsals, etc. if you’re feeling at all sick
• Be conscious of whether or not others want to hug or shake hands or have physical contact…some may not be comfortable with that right now, it’s not personal. We can show our love for each other in other ways.
• Adjustments might be made to choreo to reduce physical contact as we learn more about this rapidly-changing phenomenon

CARNIVAL 2020: PILLARS OF CHANGE

Oakland Carnival is just 11 weeks away. Yes, we know many large-scale gatherings are on hold at the moment, but our prayer is that people get well, stay healthy, and our community will be in great shape to show up and celebrate together come June 6th. We’re working hard every day to make this Oakland Carnival our biggest yet.

We’re looking for:

• Performers
• Vendors
• Sponsors
• Volunteers

Please check the website for information on all of the above. If you’re looking to volunteer, please contact Theo directly: sambafunky (at) gmail.com. Carnival is a labor of love, and it takes the energy, creativity, and time of our entire collective to pull it off.

Hosted by SambaFunk, Oakland Carnival and Wellness Festival (June 6, 2020 in Mosswood Park) is the best, free family-oriented showcase of artistic, cultural, and musical traditions on the West Coast. This year we’re bringing back the parade and the Jouvert AM Paint Party. It will be our biggest year yet! Participation is welcome to all – come to class to start learning choreo, get involved in preparations, and participate in our Pillars of Change theme, where we will be honoring Malonga Casquelord and Carlos Aceituno, among others.

WEEKDAY WARRIORS – Join us tonight, Wednesday February 26th from 6pm-7:30pm at Westlake Middle School, 2629 Harrison Street. As Carnival nears, Wednesdays are a great opportunity to go over choreo and technique in a more intimate environment. You can find us in the Band Room  — the building with white pillars at the top of the parking lot hill. 

#SAMBACHURCH – Join us this Sunday March 1 from 4-6 at the Malonga. Carnival Registration kick-off begins this week! We’re seeking volunteers for multiple Carnival committees, so please let Theo know if you’re interested in stepping up to support the wider SambaFunk! and Oakland Carnival endeavors.

Guest Choreographer Stepmaster Vernon Jackson will be teaching March 8th and March 22nd ….he will be teaching the Funk choreography for Carnaval 2020. You do not want to miss Vernon!

Don’t forget to support our drummers by bringing fruit, water and snacks to share and/or contributing $2-$5 to the Drum Fund when registering for class.

NEWS AND EVENTS

LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING – We are still celebrating Black History Month with the release of the music video for our original rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing. Please view and share!

30 DAY MEAT-OUT CHALLENGE – We’re still in it! Join the Facebook group for group support, recipes, activities, and best practices.  And don’t forget to Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydate! Recommended daily consumption is 1/2 your body weight in ounces. We are what we eat & drink.

CARNIVAL 2020: PILLARS OF CHANGE

We’re seeking volunteers for multiple Carnival committees, so please let Theo know if you’re interested in stepping up. Carnival is a labor of love, and it takes the energy, creativity, and time of our entire collective to pull it off.

Hosted by SambaFunk, Oakland Carnival and Wellness Festival (June 6, 2020 in Mosswood Park) is the best, free family-oriented showcase of artistic, cultural, and musical traditions on the West Coast. This year we’re bringing back the parade and the Jouvert AM Paint Party. It will be our biggest year yet! Participation is welcome to all – come to class to start learning choreo, get involved in preparations, and participate in our Pillars of Change theme, where we will be honoring Malonga Casquelord and Carlos Aceituno, among others.

#SAMBACHURCH – Join us this Sunday February 23rd from 4-6 at the Malonga. There will be a special guest instructor, Samba Queen Maisa Duke!

Don’t forget to support our drummers by bringing fruit, water and snacks to share and/or contributing $2-$5 to the Drum Fund when registering for class.

WEEKDAY WARRIORS – Join us next Wednesday February 26th for Samba Crunch from 6pm-7:30pm at Westlake Middle School. As Carnival nears, Wednesdays will be a great opportunity to go over choreo in a more intimate environment. You can find us in the gym off of the parking lot.

NEWS AND EVENTS

SAMBAFUNK! ARTISTIC DIRECTOR APPOINTED TO OAKLAND CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION – Theo Aytchan Williams is one of 11 working artists, nonprofit professionals, and policy experts appointed by Oakland City Council to lead the renewed Cultural Affairs Commission, which has been dormant since 2011. The commission will advise city officials on policy affecting the arts, and advocate for the Cultural Funding Program. Congrats Theo and thanks for everything you to do to advocate for arts and culture in Oakland!

LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING – We are still celebrating Black History Month with the release of the music video for our original rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing. Please view and share!

30 DAY MEAT-OUT CHALLENGE – We’re nearing the end of week 2 of the challenge. There’s still time to join as we prepare for Carnival by eliminating meat from our diets. Join the Facebook group for group support, recipes, activities, and best practices.  And don’t forget to Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydate! Recommended daily consumption is 1/2 your body weight in ounces. We are what we eat & drink.

CARNIVAL 2020: PILLARS OF CHANGE

We’re getting ready for Oakland Carnival (June 6, 2020)! Hosted by SambaFunk, Oakland Carnival and Wellness Festival is the best, free family-oriented showcase of artistic, cultural, and musical traditions on the West Coast. This year we’re bringing back the parade and the Jouvert AM Paint Party. It will be our biggest year yet! Participation is welcome to all – come to class to start learning choreo, get involved in preparations, and participate in our Pillars of Change theme, where we will be honoring Malonga Casquelord and Carlos Aceituno, among others. Registration will begin in March.