Samba Boston - Randi Henry

Samba, Pagode,
Chorinho,
Bossa Nova, and more !

______________________________________________________________________________________________

A little bit of Brazil in New England and beyond !!!

_____________________________________________________________________

Randi Henry

Although born here in the United States, Randi has had a fascination with
Brazilian music and culture starting from an early age. As a child she was
enchanted by the singing and musings of the Portuguese singer/actress
Carmen Miranda (another foreigner charmed by Brazilian culture).

During her formative years in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Randi focused most of
her energy on sports such as gymnastics, tennis, track and field and
cross-country running; she always had a love for dance.

A brief experiment with ballet ended in expulsion for lack of discipline or
rather the need to be expressive in a less rigid format. Hip-hop and jazz
dance suited her much better. Drawing, writing and playing the viola
were other outlets of artistic-expression.

During her senior year in college at Tufts University in Massachusetts, Randi started dancing salsa
and merengue. She also studied African drumming with Professor David Locke
and Brazilian dance with Professor Cornell Coley. Under Coley’s direction Randi learned Samba,
candomblé and caporeira. This rekindled her interest in Brazilian music and culture
and led her to seek out samba classes at the Brazilian Cultural Center of New England (BCCNE)
At the Brazilian Cultural Center Randi learned to Samba with Deraldo Ferreira,
Fernanda --- and Ana Laidley.

After graduating from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Randi moved to Ohio where she
worked in a referral clinic and became a member of the Aquarela do Mundo Samba School.
This was a performance group, which performed in parades, art festivals and charity events. As a
member of this group she performed, choreographed and taught Samba.

Today Randi lives in Framingham, Massachusetts and works as a veterinarian. She is also a
member of the BCCNE performance ensemble Samba Tremeterra and works with
"Samba Sundays" at the Brookline Community Center for the Arts (BCCA) and the Dance Complex.