Sam Sturken started dancing at the age of 2 at a small ballet school in Los Angeles, California. She moved to Massapequa, NY at age 6 and danced at Body Language Dance and Theatre Arts Studio from then until her high school graduation. At Body Language, Sam trained in ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and tap. She began competing at the age of 8 and continued throughout high school. She was also the captain of her high school kick line, and took part in the Rockettes Summer Intensive in 2013.

From there, Sam went on to dance at Bucknell University, where she was a Dance Merit Scholar, a Dance Minor, and a member of the Bison Girls Dance Team for all four years. She also was involved with Bucknell Dance Showcase as a dancer, choreographer, and director. When she graduated from Bucknell in 2019, she moved to Manhattan to work in non-profit education and was eager to continue dancing. Through other Bucknell grads, she found DanceWorks New York City! This is Sam’s first season as a choreographer and third season as a dancer. She is so excited to work with the incredible dancers involved in Season 18!!!