Karolina: Samba and Chaos in Chinatown, NY 2018

Photographed in the Summer of 2018, Samba Dancer and Stockholm native, Karolina Finskas poses in Soho.

As of 2022, Karolina Finskas is dancing with Dança Global, a Brazilian samba and fusion dance troupe. At the time of this shoot, Finskas was samba dancing at various events around NYC.

Instagram has connected me with a bevy of clients, and few are more memorable than Stockholm-based, part-time NYC resident, Karolina Finskas. A professional samba dancer who tours the Continental Europe, the Caribbean, South America and the US, Finskas’s zest for life and incredible energy resonate whenever I have the pleasure of photographing her.

This series of photos were taken on a balmy late-summer day in 2018. We met on Grand Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown for a one hour promotional photoshoot. Dressed in a vibrant samba costume, Finskas was able to do something that rarely happens: make jaded New Yorkers stop, look and inquire about what we were doing.

The thirsty response of men from various classes and ethnic groups spoke to the universal nature of men. It also illustrated, yet again, the type of harassment and ogling that women experience. I kept the peanut gallery at bay, begrudgingly enforcing a look but don’t dare touch policy to get through the shoot. But my subject definitely didn’t need my protection. With nerves of steel and an unflinching level of focus, the Stockholmer quipped at tongue-wagging bypassers, giving as good as she got. After a few minutes, they took a hint and moved along.

Karolina on Pell St.

Undeterred by the catcalls, she remained camera focused, giving me the ability to capture a series of promotional photos as well as a range of behind the scenes shots of all the chaos.

Karolina Finskas stares down an overly-enthusiastic crowd on Mott Street.

The most memorable moment of the day occurred as we were wrapping up. We strolled over to Mott Street for a series of photos in the midst of a chaotic scene. Finskas’s presence was enough to stop traffic, motivating tourists and locals alike to pull out their phones to snap photos and record videos. Unbothered by the spectacle of it all, she stared down the crowd like a pro. The photo of her standing defiantly on Mott Street remains my favorite shot of the day. Perfectly coiffed and armed with a sense of humor and devil-may-care attitude, Finskas’s strength and ability to command the situation were awe-inspiring.