Corporate Team Building & Rhythm Workshops
Samba Workshops for Teams
Skip the lectures and trust falls. Learn to listen, adapt, and work in sync through hands-on samba drumming, a live performance to open your event, or a cultural session with musicians in Rio. Choose one or combine them.
Based in Portland, available throughout Oregon and Washington.
Plan Your Workshop
Three sessions:
· Team Building (60-90 min, 6-30 people)
· Event Opener (15-45 min, any size)
· Cultural Exchange (90 min, 6-50 people)
Our Workshop Formats
1. Interactive Team Building
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Best for: Department retreats, quarterly team alignments, and cross-functional bonding.
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Format Length: 60 - 90 Minutes
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Group Size: 6 - 30
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The Experience: A hands-on percussion workshop where every participant gets an authentic instrument. Your team learns to listen to one another and build complex rhythms into a shared groove. The session highlights leadership, mutual support, and how each person's part contributes to the whole. No experience needed. All instruments provided.
Leading an interactive workshop in Burlington, Vermont.
Portland Summer Percussion Academy at PSU
2. Bateria Grand Entrance & Event Opener
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Best for: Opening ceremonies, conference kick-offs, or waking up an audience after a long lunch block.
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Format Length: 15 - 45 Minutes
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Group Size: Any size.
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The Experience: A professional bateria (drumming section) and samba dancers make a surprise entrance into your venue. The performance resets the room's energy and leads into an interactive rhythm challenge that gets everyone focused and in sync for the day.
Photo credit: Janet Tank
Photo credit: Angela Potter
3. Cultural Exchange Session (no instruments)
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Best for: DEI initiatives, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), leadership cohorts, and organizations building a global mindset and psychological safety.
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Format Length: 90 Minutes
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Group Size: 6 - 50
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The Experience: A discussion-based session on the history, resilience, and community structures of Afro-Brazilian samba culture, with practical takeaways for team dynamics. No drumming and no experience needed.
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What's included:
- Parade analysis: Footage from Rio de Janeiro's carnival parades, showing how thousands of people organize, communicate, and stay in sync under pressure.
- Live dialogue with Rio: A real-time video conversation with professional sambistas in Rio de Janeiro about community leadership and cultural preservation.
- Audience Q&A: Participants ask questions directly, which is why this session is limited to 50.
- Leadership frameworks: How the equity, mutual reliance, and adaptive communication of a drum section apply to workplace culture.
What you provide: A large screen or projector, speakers, and a reliable internet connection for the live video call.
Combine them
Sessions can be booked on their own or together. Pairing 1 and 3 makes a half-day program, and the bateria entrance can open any event.
Co-facilitation with Brazilian artist and business partner Renan Gohan.
Live Cultural Exchange: Direct Interactive Q&A with Professional Sambistas in Rio de Janeiro and workshop participants.
Plan Your Workshop
Meet Your Facilitator
Courtney Danley is the Artistic Director of Portland Samba, a professional multi-percussionist, international educator, and workshop facilitator with more than 20 years of experience leading groups in samba.
Courtney splits her time between Portland, Oregon and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and brings an authentic understanding of community drumming traditions to corporate settings.
As a facilitator, Courtney translates how a drum section works (active listening, tight synchronization, and trust) into practical team-building concepts. She has led everything from small executive retreats to conference icebreakers for hundreds of people.
Photo credit: Janet Tank
Courtney plays with the samba school Imperatriz Leopoldinense.
Ready to Book a Workshop?
Bring a high-energy experience to your next corporate event, retreat, or DEI initiative. Fill out our brief inquiry form and we'll send a tailored logistics and pricing proposal. Response time typically between 1 and 3 business days.
Contact Courtney directly:
503-309-0220 | Courtney@gosamba.net