Samara Atkins has been dancing and teaching hip-hop since 1999 and finds pure joy in sharing her love and passion of dance with others. Her mission is to utilize dance as a somatic tool for celebrating, processing, coping, addressing, releasing energy, and healing from our lived experiences.  She has been technically trained in jazz, ballet, and hip hop, while her focus over the last decade has predominately been urban street styles and social dancing. Not only has she been a choreographer since the age of 14 and directed a student-run dance company at Howard University, but has performed in various dance companies such as Mix'd Ingrdnts, New Style Motherlode, Diamond Dance Company, Neopolitan, Dance 10, St. Mary's Dance Ensemble, and Dance-A-Vision. Samara currently teaches dance through Destiny Arts Center and is Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of the mixed genre dance collective Mix'd Ingrdnts, with a mission to educate, inspire, and empower women, youth, and the community. Through Mix'd Ingrdnts, she has been featured in news articles, received notoriety through dance awards, and on The Harry Connick Jr. Show​. She is also choreographer, member, and singer of the two-time GRAMMY-nominated children's music group Alphabet Rockers. Samara is now a singer/songwriter and emcee on the track "Black Gxrl Magic" off the 2019 GRAMMY-nominated album, The Love.  Traveling to Mexico, China, Thailand, Nepal, Cuba, South Africa, and Vietnam to showcase and share her love of dance with other cultures, her passion is to preserve culture, inspire people to move no matter what age or skill level, and have fun while doing so. She has choreographed and danced for local artists Jonn Hart, Michelle Martinez, Dahrio Wonder, Moesoul, and Judit, and also has back-up danced for Nile Rodgers and the band Chic. Samara has also danced for celebrity choreographer Luam in a 2007 dance production for Capitol Movement.