Angelique Starks started her professional movement career in 1996. It was then that she was casted as a dancer for David Cassidy's show, EFX at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Two years later, she fell in love with Brazilian Arts. She started with capoeira and has continued training for 25 years. She now has her own group and a brown belt in capoeira. Through capoeira, she discovered Samba and was immediately hooked. She is the director of SambAZ, a professional performance group who performs locally and all over the nation.
Tainah Damasceno is a teaching & performing artist, producer, and Artistic Director of BrasArte: a Berkeley CA based cultural arts non profit. Her work is primarily focused on cultural arts education-- sharing with people of all ages across the Bay & USA how multiplicite Brazilian culture, history, and dance can be.
Tainah began dancing at the age of 3 with her mother-- Brazilian culture bearer Conceicao Damasceno-- followed by five years at the San Francisco Ballet School. Later on, she reconnected with her roots, and began studying Brazilian folkloric and contemporary dances with renewed intensity under various master artists. As an instructor, she taught for programs such as California Brazil Camp and International Samba Congress, and as a director she has created shows such as Sambrazil! (a story of samba from the caboclos to the escolas de samba) and directed festivals such as the Yemanja Arts Festival.
Today she continues her research in the Reconcavo region of Bahia (birthplace of the samba, maculele & capoeira), as well as touring as a teaching artist in the United States and performing in the Bay Area. In her 10 years of teaching, Tainah’s goal has been to offer an inclusive, safe space for expression, and for participants to dive into the joy and force that permeates Brazilian culture.
Amrahu Ibraheem is the three-time, undefeated U.S. National King of Samba. This Brooklyn, NY born dancer was raised in Hip-Hop, House, Dance Hall and Salsa movements of New York City. Amrahu really came into his own in Samba no Pé, under the incomparable training of Ana Malandro Laidley in Los Angeles. A prominent dancer of Malandro N' Motion/ Samba N Motion, Amrahu is one of only three non-Brazilians, and one of the original cast of dancers to compete in the first Brasil Samba Congress.
Amrahu has performed on television, music videos, and movies. Often described as elegant and energetic, Amrahu is a Samba dancer to be watched.
Deise Costa, the USA Samba Queen 2022, began dancing at the age of 5 at her school in Piaui, Brazil and hasn't stopped since. Deise is a professional dancer, choreographer, teacher and entrepreneur. She began her career in human movement and well-being in 2008, as a certified Physical Educator. Deise has extensive training and experience as a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. Since 2018, when she was crowned the Chicago Samba Queen, she has been sharing Brazilian culture around the globe.
As of 2019, she opened her own business called Brazilian Swag, where she offers a variety of Brazilian-inspired dance classes, performances, and an online shop selling Brazilian-made products (handmade bags and jewelry, athleisure, Brazilian bikinis, and art).
As a dancer, Deise has been influenced by many Brazilian styles, such as folklore dance, Forro, Afro-Brazilian, Samba, Funk, and has recently begun studying West-African dance, Silvestre Technique, and Symbology of the Orixas.
Deise dedicates her life to studying dance and movement, and using this knowledge to help others to reconnect with themselves by educating people about their bodies and helping them to become a better version of themselves, creating a safe space for healing, empowerment, and freedom of expression using Brazilian culture as the main bridge to instigate that process.