
ERIN LUDBEY
Samba Instructor
Erin is a professional dancer, trained in various styles and specialising in samba no pé. Erin began performing from the age of 6 in competitive gymnastics. At 8, her love for dance began with ballet as well as jazz, contemporary, tap and hip-hop, which saw her taking exams and competing into her early 20s.
After taking a break to study to be a Registered Nurse, Erin reconnected with her love for dance when she was introduced to samba in 2012. Her passion for samba saw her training and studying the art, performing regularly in Adelaide, as well as travelling and performing interstate. Some of her best samba memories include:
Dancing alongside Todd McKenny for the Royal Flying Doctors Service Wings For Life fundraiser (2016)
Performing at the televised Rio Olympics Australian swimming team qualifiers (2016)
Placing 1st in the Open Samba Shines Team category at the Brisbane World Salsa Solo in 2019
Placing 1st in the professional category at Tropicana (2020) with a Brazilian funk routine choreographed by Felipe Rodrigues.
Representing multiple Brazilian samba schools in the annual Rio Carnaval (2020-2025).
Four-time passista in the Rio Carnaval (2020-2025). The opportunity to dance with samba schools in Rio remains the highlight of her samba journey.
Erin’s local and interstate experiences fuelled her passion for samba, which took her to Brazil for the first time in 2020 with Samba Internacional, to parade in Rio Carnaval. Erin was honoured to be selected for the official Ala de Passistas (professional samba dancer wing) for the samba school Unidos de Bangu, as well as in the Sambista Ala for Porto da Pedra.
Erin has since trained extensively in Rio, performing in ensaios (rehearsals) and parading with a number of samba schools:
Unidos de Bangu and Porto da Pedra in 2020
Unidos de Bangu in 2023
Returning to both Unidos de Bangu and to Porto da Pedra as a passista in 2024
Returning in 2025 as a passista for Porto da Pedra, and as a first-time passista for Unidos de Padre Miguel after being personally invited by Passista Director George Louzada.
Erin is dedicated to continuous study, not only in samba dance technique but also in Brazilian music, history and culture to ensure that samba no pé is showcased correctly, respectfully and with integrity. She has also been dedicated to learning the Brazilian Portuguese language since 2022. Erin has been teaching with Escola since 2022 and loves sharing her technical dance background, her experience as a passista, and her passion and knowledge of samba no pé with the students of Escola de Samba Adelaide.