Corporate Team Building & Rhythm Workshops

Meet Your Facilitator

Courtney Danley head shot, dark background, dark shirt.

Courtney Danley is the Executive Director of Portland Samba, a professional multi-percussionist, international educator, and workshop facilitator with over 2 decades of experience moving rooms through the power of samba rhythms. Splitting time between the vibrant music scenes of Portland, Oregon, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Courtney brings an elite, authentic understanding of community drumming traditions to the corporate world.

As a facilitator, Courtney translates the mechanics of a high functioning drum section, deep active listening, split-second synchronization, and absolute trust into actionable team building concepts for modern organizations. Whether leading a small executive retreat or a high energy conference icebreaker for hundreds of employees, Courtney’s interactive workshops break down professional barriers, build lasting group unity, and leave teams completely re-energized.

Courtney Danley directing Portland Samba during the Portland Pride Parade. Portland Samba drummers in the background

Photo credit: Janet Tank

Courtney Danley playing repique with the samba school Imperatriz Leopoldinense bateria. Everyone is in blue costumes for the cigana theme of carnaval 2024

Courtney plays with the samba school Imperatriz Leopoldinense.

Our Workshop Formats

Group photo of Portland Samba, some samba drums are in view, big blue and gold vertical flags in the back that read Portland Samba

Photo credit: Angela Potter

1. The Bateria Grand Entrance & Event Opener (15–30 Minutes)

Best for: Opening ceremonies, conference kick-offs, or waking up an audience after a long lunch block.
The Experience: Courtney and a high-energy, professional bateria (drumming section) and professional samba dancers make a surprise, grand entrance directly into your venue, instantly electrifying the room. This high-impact performance completely shatters any meeting fatigue, commands absolute attention, and transitions seamlessly into an interactive audience rhythm challenge to get everyone synchronized and focused for the day.

Photo of lines of drummers at Portland Samba parade.

Photo credit: Janet Tank

2. Interactive Team Building (60–90 Minutes)

Best for: Department retreats, quarterly team alignments, and cross-functional bonding.
The Experience: A fully immersive, hands-on multi-percussion workshop where every single participant gets an authentic instrument. Your team will learn to listen to one another in entirely new ways, navigating complex rhythms together to build a powerful, cohesive groove. This format explicitly highlights leadership, collective support, and the power of individual contribution to a shared goal.

Group photo of samba drumming workshop participants in Burlington Vermont.

Leading an interactive workshop in Burlington, Vermont.

a photo taken from above, workshop participants stand in a circle with their instruments posing for a photo. From the Portland Summer Percussion Academy at Portland State University

Portland Summer Percussion Academy at PSU

3. The DEI & Cultural Immersion Intensive (Half-Day or Full-Day)

Best for: Corporate DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), leadership cohorts, and organizations looking to foster a global mindset and psychological safety.
The Experience: A powerful, comprehensive immersion that bridges hands-on rhythm with a deep dive into the history, resilience, and community structures of Afro-Brazilian samba culture. This session balances collaborative musical creation with deep strategic insights into team dynamics.
Exclusive Highlights:
- Behind-the-Scenes Production Analysis: A curated visual breakdown of Rio de Janeiro desfile (carnival parade) footage, analyzing how thousands of individuals organize, communicate, and synchronize flawlessly under intense pressure.
- Live International Interactive Dialogue: A live, real-time video connection with Courtney’s professional sambista colleagues directly from Rio de Janeiro, offering your team an unvarnished, authentic discussion on community leadership, cultural preservation, and collective unity.
- DEI & Leadership Frameworks: Structured facilitation mapping the equity, deep mutual reliance, and adaptive communication of a traditional drum section directly over to modern corporate environments to build inclusive, high-performing cultures.
- Full-Day Core Extension: The full-day format expands on these concepts by breaking the team into specialized instrumental sections, introducing advanced polyrhythmic layers, and culminating in a final, full-scale group showcase performance that anchors the day's collaborative breakthroughs.

Two people posing for a photo, holding 360 cameras and standing in front of Tuiuti bateria in the Sambódromo in Rio de janeiro. Mestre Renan Gohan and Owner of Go Samba Courtney Danley.

Co-facilitation with Brazilian artist and business partner Renan Gohan.

Live question and answer with professional Brazilian samba artists, answering questions from workshop participants.

Live Cultural Exchange: Direct Interactive Q&A with Professional Sambistas in Rio de Janeiro and workshop participants.

Ready to Book a Workshop?