Teachers
Riikka Maria
Riikka has been dancing Kizomba and Afrohouse for about ten years. She started teaching in 2019 first in Finland and later also elsewhere in Europe. Known for her clear and structured teaching methods, she makes Afrohouse easy and fun to learn, even for beginners. Riikka has been teaching Kizomba since 2024, first together with a dance partner and later independently. What matters most to her is natural technique, musicality, and expression. Her teachers have included, among others, the 2024 Angolan Kizomba and Semba champions Daniel Da Costa and Amalia Vicente. She travels regularly in Europe and to Angola to stay connected with the roots of these dances, continuing to train closely with her Angolan teachers both in person and online.
Joshua Yoga
Joshua Yoga is an international dance instructor and choreographer from Kenya, currently based in Helsinki. He is a co-founder of Empire Dance Kenya, one of the leading dance studios in Kenya. A professional dancer since 2009 and an experienced teacher since 2016, he specializes in Afro dance styles including Afrobeats, Afrohouse, Coupé-Décalé, Amapiano, and Ndombolo. He also teaches Hip Hop and Dancehall, with a focus on cultural authenticity, performance quality, fitness, and wellbeing. His classes emphasize musicality, rhythm, groove, and body coordination, while fostering confidence, individual expression, and overall wellbeing. He is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for dancers of all levels.
Outi Kallinen
Outi Kallinen is a Finnish pioneer of African dance, a dancer, choreographer, and musician specializing in Guinean dances and music. She has been a professional for nearly 40 years and has been studying West African dances and various musical instruments on-site since the late 1980s, primarily in her second home, Guinea, as well as in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and The Gambia. She has performed and worked as a choreographer with various groups, as well as taught both amateurs and professionals in Finland and abroad, on four different continents. Outi has also visited Fest Afrika several times to teach and to perform. As a teacher, Outi is encouraging and attentive to students of all skill levels.
Fanta Yayo
Fanta Yayo is a Guinean dancer and singer now based in Sweden. Having grown up in a family of musicians, she is a natural performer with a strong professionalism in dance, having received rigorous training in Guinea’s ballets, i.e. ensembles dedicated to traditional dance and music. In Guinea, she is best known from the ranks of Ballet Matam. She teaches dance regularly in Stockholm and frequently travels abroad to teach and perform. She has taught songs, for example, to the students of the Sibelius Academy. Fanta’s energetic dance classes are full of movement and joy, while her singing classes offer a deeper dive into traditional songs.
For Fanta’s singing and dancing, see her performance with Sibelius Academy’s students on YouTube.
Annina Tuhkunen
Annina is a dance and body care professional working at the intersection of various dance and movement practices, with 30 years of experience as a teacher and performer, particularly in West African dance. She has developed her expertise in both traditional and contemporary Afro dance styles through numerous intensive courses and professional trainings across West Africa, Europe, and Latin America. In addition to dance, Annina holds a Master’s degree in cultural studies and intercultural interaction, which is reflected in her continuous curiosity to deepen her understanding of the dance cultures she teaches. As a teacher, Annina is clear and inspiring. She values sharing the joy of dance and fostering a sense of community, as well as opening up the cultural contexts behind the dances to her students. She strives to create a relaxed and open atmosphere in her classes, where everyone feels seen and welcome.
Learn more about Annina by reading this interview.
DJ LeNoir
DJ LeNoir’s style is all about smooth mixes, good energy, and reading the crowd. He loves taking people on a musical journey and connecting different sounds into one unforgettable experience. He is comfortable mixing across all genres — from Hip Hop & Rap to Afrobeats, Amapiano, Reggaeton, Dembow, Afro House and everything in between.
Siku Mponda
Sikujua Mponda is a talented choreographer, performer, and dancer. She is known for her groundbreaking work from a young age as one of the first Black women specializing in Afro and twerk dance styles in Finland. She has influenced young dancers across Finland and played an important role in building the Afro street dance community. She has also worked internationally in Tanzania alongside some of the country’s biggest artists, including Marioo, Harmonize, and Diamond Platnumz. In the summer of 2023, Sikujua was awarded Choreographer of the Year in Finland at the FADA Awards, organized by Diaspora Glitz Magazine. For the past eight years, Sikujua has been teaching dance, specializing in twerk, African waistline, and various African dance styles.
