Sashya Jay Brito

Internationally renowned Creative Director, Choreographer, Performing Artist and Educator, Sashya Jay is Australia’s most recognised Brazilian Dance Director. A powerhouse visionary, Sashya is the founding director of Escola de Samba Sydney and Rio Projekt. She is fiercely passionate and dedicated to representing and teaching Brazilian dance with the utmost integrity.

Sashya has performed annually in Rio Carnaval since 2017 and is a Musa for Rio’s most famous Samba school, Estação Primeira de Mangueira. She also paraded as a Musa for Imperio Serrano (2020 and 2023) and as a Passista for three of Rio’s top Samba Samba schools, Salgueiro, Tuiuti and Imperio Serrano over four years. In addition to Brazil and Australia, Sashya has performed internationally in Hong Kong, Cuba, Fiji and the USA.

Sashya is one of only a handful of international artists officially endorsed by Carlinhos Salgueiro (Rio’s King of Samba) to teach his signature technique and has taught Brazilian dance workshops around Australia, the USA and in Brazil. Her forte in Brazilian dance has evolved through immersing herself in the culture and training and performing with the top Samba and Afro Brazilian artists and aficionados from Brazil.

Sashya has choreographed an impressive array of stage shows as well as live and televised performances across Australia including the acclaimed Rio Projekt stage show “The Carnaval Experience". She won the “Best Choreography” award at the Sydney Mardi Gras 2015 and Runner Up the following year. In 2016, Sashya also choreographed the Brazilian performances for the official “Welcome Home” events for the Australian Olympic Team in Sydney and Melbourne and the half-time performance for the Cronulla Sharks “Rio Round”.

Sashya has featured at major Brazilian events in Australia for over a decade, with nationally televised appearances on Channel 7, Channel 10, Channel 9 and shows such as The X Factor. She has also performed with renowned artists such as Carlinhos Salgueiro, Evelyn Bastos, Kellyn Rosa, Sergio Mendes, Jason Derulo, James Arthur and Todd McKenney.

Raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Afrocentric culture, music and dance was Sashya’s foundational influence. Starting out as a Music Journalist and Presenter in Australia, Sashya made her mark as a Concert Promoter and Tour Manager (1999-2015) working with celebrity artists such as Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, John Legend, The Roots, The Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Beck, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, Jurassic 5, U2 and more.