Who is behind Azembora?

Sven

Sven discovered Kizomba and Semba in 2014 at a local Cuban Salsa school in Helsinki. It was the music that immediately drew him in and the dances that made it a passion.

It became pretty clear early on that improvement would require traveling to festivals and seeking out reference teachers. The first years were spent with weekly local classes in multiple local schools and traveling to international festivals for more classes with international teachers.

In 2016, not happy with the quality of teaching on the local market. investments were made in attending teacher trainings. First with Jose Ndongala's Kizomba Love academy - with Frans and Sara and then with multiple visits to Lisbon to train with Mestre Petchu.

Kizomba in Helsinki in the early years was really a side show to Salsa and Bachata. In 2016, together with a group of friends, Azembora was founded. We were a dance school dedicated to Kizomba, Semba and its European variants, Kizomba Fusion and Urbankiz.

Azembora gave a platform to grow a local community. It allowed us to invite international teachers to present their art and skills to our local audience. It also took a role to clearly identify and label the different styles and left no confusion for the local community as to what was really Kizomba and Semba, versus fusion or Urbankiz.

The school ran for 7 years and gave many people nice memories. Now Sven continues to teach under Azembora and has focused it entirely on the promotion of Kizomba and Semba from Angola.

Sven had his first trip to Angola in 2020 and will return for his 5th trip in December 2024. His reference for Kizomba and Semba has moved to the source and he is committed to support, represent and promote the dances of Kizomba, Semba and the artists and dancers from Angola.

His goal is to continue to grow the international community of Kizomba and Semba dancers. To promote Kizomba and Semba from the source. To inspire more people to visit Angola and to connect with its culture and its people.