Musical & Dance Directors
Musical Director - Simon Preston
Simon is an accomplished percussionist with over thirty years experience and is Musical Director of Samba Galêz.
Since building his first percussion set out of a deck chair, old wood and library books, Simon has lived and studied drums and marimba in Tanzania (Bagamoyo College of Music) and Ghana, and congas in Cuba and the USA, most notably at the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts.
Simon has performed as a percussionist around the UK and the world, including Europe, Brazil, Equador and the USA.
Simon is keen to pass on his skills – most notably to Samba Galez, where he continues to push the boundaries of Afro-Brazilian percussion. He combines a knowledge and technique of roots drumming with a love of new and contemporary rhythms.
Dance Director - Cathryn McShane-Kouyaté
Cathryn McShane-Kouyaté has been an active member of our Samba Galêz dance team since 2009 and took over as permanent dance lead in 2021. Cathryn has over 26 years experience of community arts (especially carnival) as a dancer, maker, and parade coordinator (including Carnifal y Môr to open the National Eisteddfod in Cardiff Bay in 2018 and Butetown Carnival), but her passion is for joyful high energy dance of all genres.
Cathryn is probably best known as a British Sign Language-Welsh-English interpreter that has worked on screen and in theatre, and is also a director for the West African arts company The Successors of the Mandingue Ltd managing workshop programmes, projects, and the Dathliad Cymru-Affrica festival. More recently Cathryn has established dance organisation Teulu Dawns working with community dance practitioners, groups, and projects.
Associate Dance Lead - Abdulmujib Oloye Yahaya
Oloye is a multidisciplinary artist, creative facilitator, and choreographer based in Cardiff, Wales. Born in Nigeria, he brings a unique Afro-Welsh perspective to his work, blending traditional West African dance, contemporary movement, music, and storytelling. As co-founder of Teulu Dawns, Oloye has led numerous cultural and community projects across Wales, including performances, workshops, and artist development programmes that centre diasporic voices.
His practice is deeply rooted in identity, rhythm, and cultural reclamation, drawing on his Igala heritage and lived experience as an immigrant navigating disconnection and belonging. With over a decade of experience in community engagement, he has worked with organisations such as Oasis One World Choir, Rubicon Dance, and Artis Community to create inclusive, cross-cultural works that celebrate resilience, creativity, and heritage.
