Who We Are

Sambaxé (Sam-Ba-Shay) is an inclusive, Brazilian-inspired music & dance company based in San Francisco. Founded by Creative Director, dancer, and choreographer, Raffaella Falchi-Macias and Musical Director, Alfie Macias, we’re celebrating 20+ years of sharing Brazilian culture through dance classes, percussion classes, performances, and music and dance retreats.

Join us for classes and performance workshops at ODC Dance School in the Mission, or join us for the Carnaval San Francisco Grand Parade!

All ages, gender identities, and dance experience levels are welcome.

Check out our classes

Open level classes are held year-round at ODC Dance Commons in San Francisco on Thursday evenings. Performance workshops are held in the fall. True beginners are welcome!

Sign up for class through ODC
Join us for Carnaval

Carnaval San Francisco hosts a Grand Parade over the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend each year. We love sharing the celebration with newcomers, including kids in our community. Find out how to get involved!

Learn more
Support our mission

Raffa’s mission is that no one is turned away from participating in Carnaval due to finances. Donations help us fund participation for low-income and youth members, so that sharing this cultural experience is not cost-prohibitive. Your donation allows us to share the gift of Brazilian dance in the Bay Area!

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Raffaella Falchi-Macias

Raffaella Falchi-Macias is the Founder and Artistic Director of Sambaxé Dance Company, founded in 2005. She began studying Brazilian dance in 1996 and has studied extensively with dancers and choreographers in Rio de Janeiro & Bahia, Brazil. She has been teaching Brazilian-inspired movement & dance to both adults and youth in San Francisco for the last decade and is passionate about continuing to share Brazilian culture through music and dance retreats in Brazil, Cuba and Mexico. Her company has performed in theaters, dance festivals and events locally and internationally.

In addition to leading Sambaxé, she is a Brazilian Samba Dance instructor at ODC/Dance. Outside of dance, she is the Executive Director at Youth Art Exchange, which offers free visual and performing arts classes to San Francisco public high school students. She holds a MArch from California College of the Arts and a BA from UC Berkeley in Psychology and Art.

My Love Affair with Carnaval

By Raffaella Falchi

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Creating a safe space to learn: A conversation with Raffaella Falchi

By Maya Kitayama

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Saving Carnaval: The Woman Enticing the Mission’s Tech Newcomers into the Samba Spirit

By Marica Petrey

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