Samuel Akins began ballet training at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, Alabama. At 13, Akins was named a National Training Scholar with the American Ballet Theatre, and at 14, moved to New York City to continue training at the School of American Ballet. During his time at the School of American Ballet, Akins was featured in productions both at the school and with the New York City Ballet.

Upon graduating, Akins danced with the Los Angeles Ballet for four seasons before joining the Alabama Ballet to dance principal and soloist roles.

Akins moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2018 to continue his dance career. The same year, he joined the faculty of the Melbourne Academy of the Arts and performed with the Australian National Youth Ballet as our Guest Artist.

In 2021, Akins made history by becoming the first African-American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet, where he has performed for the past four years. Akins’ extensive repertoire includes renowned works by Marius Petipa, George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, August Bournonville, and Crystal Pite. Additionally, Akins has performed works by Wayne McGregor, Alexander Ekman, and William Forsythe, working in the studio with these esteemed choreographers.

Akins joined The Australian Ballet in 2025 and is excited to continue expanding his artistic voice in Australia and is eager to share his passion for dance and storytelling with Australian audiences.

We are delighted that Samuel can share his expertise as a guest teacher at MAARTS. His dedication to inspiring the next generation of dancers and the knowledge he brings to our Workshops as well as his passion for teaching make him a valuable asset to our institute.