
JANE NUNES
Director / Samba Instructor
A professional Brazilian dancer, performer and instructor specialising in samba no pé, Jane is the Director of Escola de Samba Adelaide.
Jane’s journey in dance started in 2011 when she signed up for her first class purely for fitness. Quickly becoming addicted to the music, movements and energy of samba, Jane immersed herself in her training and by 2015 was regularly performing professionally around Adelaide and at interstate congresses and competitions. Some of Jane’s most memorable highlights include:
Sharing the stage with Rob Mills for Autism SA (2015)
Performing with 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 (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).
Jane began teaching in 2017, with a goal to share one of the biggest gifts samba gave her: confidence. She is passionate about teaching samba with respect and integrity, educating students about the history and culture behind samba no pé. Jane has a natural talent for teaching and is known for her ability to break down moves in a way that makes sense to her students.
Jane’s dedication to continue learning and deepening her understanding of samba has seen her travel to Brazil three times with Samba Internacional to parade with multiple samba schools in the famous Rio Carnaval. Each trip is a commitment to five weeks of intensive training, plus participating in school ensaios (rehearsals) to prepare for the parade. Jane’s samba school representation includes:
2020: as a member of the Sambista Ala for Porto da Pedra
2023: as a Passista for Unidos de Bangu
2025: as a Passista for Porto Da Pedra and as a Musa for Unidos da Ponte
Jane has continued her training with Escola de Samba Sydney online and takes every opportunity to train with Brazilian artists when they hit Australian shores.
Jane is first generation Australian-born Portuguese which enables her to interpret Brazilian music and samba terminology for her students. Jane is dedicated to maintaining the authenticity of Brazilian dance and loves to share that passion with others. An Operations Manager by day, in her spare time she is proud to run the Adelaide branch of Australia’s leading Brazilian dance school, Escola de Samba Sydney.