Ian Martinelle

Ian Martinelle

Ian Martinelle is a dance teacher from Rio de Janeiro. He’s been dancing for over ten years, going through different dance styles and specializing in Forró and Samba de Gafieira.

The choice of the roots style in Forró came from its characteristic of being a closed embrace dance, rich in leg movements and with a dynamic flow of movements.
Besides couple dancing, Ian has also taken classes in Afro-Brazilian dances, contemporary and ballet. This influence of other dances comes into his Forró style, mixing techniques from individual body work to footwork from Samba de Gafieira and Tango.

The passion for Samba came later on, but keeps growing with the understanding of the dynamic movements of the dance. Playing with the sway and flow, the more pulsating style and the classic lines of leg movements, Ian tries to bring a plural approach to his Gafieira dance.

Now, Ian focuses on working with a more opened approach to couple dancing, thinking about the importance of the rhythm and flow of steps and interpretation of each dancer’s individualities.

Ian’s classes are focused on technique, musicality and understanding of the dance’s ebb and flow of rythm for both followers and leaders with the goal to make the dance as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.