The Ailey School

Samara Steele is from Cleveland, OH, where she began her formal dance training at the age of four training in modern, contemporary, hip hop, tap and jazz. She began performing at the age of nine when she was cast in the Nutcracker with Cincinnati Ballet, performing at the Playhouse Square in Cleveland. At the age of 15, she began training in the Vaganova technique in pointe, ballet, and character at the Ohio Conservatory of Ballet, under the direction of Inna Stabrova and Dmitry Tuboltsev. In 2015, Samara was honored to become the inaugural recipient of the Ballet in Cleveland Misty Copeland Scholarship. She has attended summer programs and workshops with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Columbus City Ballet School, and the Radio City Rockettes. She has also performed works by Robert Battle, Alvin Ailey, Crystal Pite, Henning Rubsam, and Martin Lofsnes. Samara is a graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA program where she majored in dance while pursuing a minor in New Media and Digital Design.