About Me

Educator · Musician · Dance Teacher · Author

„It wasn’t a planned moment. I simply put on music — Salsa, Mambo — and started moving. A neurodivergent child who needs movement and stimulation danced with me first. Then another. And another. Within minutes, everyone was dancing together — typically developing children, neurodivergent children, educators. Nobody was told to, nobody explained anything, nobody was excluded. The music did that.“

— Daniel De Souza Forbes

Who I Am

I am Daniel De Souza Forbes — state-certified educator, musician, salsa dance teacher and author based in Baden-Württemberg. My work combines music, rhythm, dance, pedagogy and psychology — with one clear goal: to improve the lives of children, families and professionals.

I work daily in a childcare facility in Baden-Württemberg and bring the power of rhythm and movement directly into everyday pedagogy — for all children, regardless of their background.

My experiences across four continents, my work with neurodivergent children and my passion for Cuban and Latin American music culture flow into everything I do.

What I Do

Rhythm4Kids

Music and movement workshops for childcare centres, kindergartens and pedagogical professionals in BW, Bavaria and Switzerland. Inclusive, playful, vibrant.

Salsa Musicality

Monthly Salsa workshops in Stuttgart and an online course for dancers who truly want to understand the music — rhythm, structure, feeling.

Latin Spirit Stuttgart

Salsa Dura, Guajira and Afro Cuban Jazz — live on stage. Latin Spirit is my Stuttgart band with concerts throughout the region.

My Book

My autobiography „The Walking Epiphany“ — published on Amazon KDP in three languages: German, English and Portuguese.

My Story

My path didn’t begin in a classroom, but on dance floors, in music studios and educational settings across four continents. I have worked with children in very different cultural and social contexts — and in every one of them, music did the same thing: connection.

My encounters with neurodivergent children fundamentally changed my work. I’ve seen a child who doesn’t participate in any other situation start moving at the very first beat of the clave. That’s not theory — that’s practice, every day.

My Beliefs

• Music is not an extra — it’s a basic need
• Inclusion begins in rhythm, not in theory
• Every child has an inner rhythm — you just need to awaken it
• Movement is language — especially for children without words
• Cultural diversity enriches pedagogy
• Practice beats theory — every day, one note at a time

📧 daniel@desouzaforbes.com