Adriana Blanco
Director, Choreographer, Dancer, and Founder
Adriana's purpose is to accessibly share her passion for cultivating the mind-body connection through movement practices such as: Yoga, Capoeira and Samba no Pé. Adriana is currently the first year graduate student at UNC Greensboro for her Masters in Fine Arts in Dance.
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Juan Pablo Blanco
Musical and Capoeira Director & Founder
Juan Pablo initiated his athletic career as a child in Venezuela playing competitive basketball. After graduating high school, Juan Pablo became involved in training martial arts such as Capoeira, (an Afro-Brazilian martial art), Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and professional mixed martial arts.
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Cristal Chinchayán
Director
Cristal’s dancing takes her all the way back when she was growing up in Peru. Born and raised in Trujillo, Peru she was placed into dance academies like Instituto Nacional de Cultura to learn Peruvian folklore like Marinera Norteña and ballet at a very early age.
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Courtney Feliz
Assistant Director
Courtney Feliz is a lover of exploring cultures of the African diaspora through dance, music, language, and food. Courtney began her dance journey by exploring Latin dance when she moved to NC in 2015.
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Edgar Marcano
Co-Musical Director and Percussionist
Originally from Venezuela, Edgar began studying regional percussion through the Popular Culture Workshops of the Fundación Bigott (Caracas) at the age of 10. At 13, he began playing modern drums with professor José Antonio Mato…
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Alma Campuzano
Choreographer and Instructor
Born in Mexico, Alma began studying dance at age five. Upon arriving in the U.S. she couldn't find a dance academy where she could explore her Latin American identity, so she began taking classes privately with her sister, Selene Stafford.
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Ariana Martinez
Assistant Instructor
Ariana Martinez began her journey in the arts as a child, growing up surrounded by music and dancing. As an adolescent she began her training in dance, acting and vocals through musical theatre.
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Andressa Donohoe
Rainha da Bateria
Andressa is originally from São Paulo, Brazil. She started practicing samba and tamborim in Charlotte in 2019. Samba brings Brazil to Andressa even while she's far away, she says it makes her soul alive, vibrant, and happy being in this world.
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Kayla Cochran
Dancer and Capoeirista
Kayla currently lives in Charlotte and works as a high school teacher and cross country coach. She is a passionate capoeirista, nicknamed Dançarina, and has been part of the NCBAP community for four years.
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Autumn Locklear
Dancer
Autumn started dancing at age 4. She trained in ballet, tap and Jazz at the Lumberton School of Ballet in Lumberton, NC, and later transitioned to the Karen Jenkins School of Dance in Red Springs, NC.
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Carroll Sanchez
Dancer
Carroll started training and performing dance at age seven through Peruvian folklore. She's since explored a wide range of genres from Flamenco to contemporary.
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Briana Rinaldo
Dancer
From ballet as a little girl, to being the only high school senior to perform a krump solo at her dance company, dance has been a throughline in Briana's life. She began dancing Afro-Latin styles socially in college and was introduced to samba and Capoeira when she moved to Charlotte.
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Aisha Cannon
Dancer
Aisha is a Lake Norman, NC native and a lifelong dancer. While she professionally performs Samba and Belly Dance, she has studied many dances from around the world including ballet, modern, Afro-Caribbean, Middle Eastern Folkloric, Classical and Folkloric Indian, and Latin.
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Reba Bowens
Capoeirista - Instructora
Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Reba Bowens has been working with dance and capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian art form incorporating acrobatics, martial arts, music, and dance in Charlotte communities and schools.
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Lady V
Singer
Lady V Poetry is a recording artist, poet, and DJ (DJ Chocolate Rocket) based in Charlotte, NC. Rooted in the church, she started performing at the age of four and hasn't found a mic that didn't call her name.
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Liza Ortiz
Singer
Liza Ortiz is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Charlotte, NC. Her most recent work includes Latin-influenced electronic music, performing in Bravo Pueblo, and her solo project, La Brava.
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Wesley Jackson
Musician, Composer, and Capoeirista
Welsey Jackson was born and raised in Charlotte. As a natural athlete, he was always interested in the cultivation of the body. He found Capoeira through a friend in college when they introduced him to a mestre he went on to study with for two years.
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Trevor "Tranquility" Jackson
Musician and Composer
Born and raised in Charlotte, NC, Trevor is a fourth generation musician. He is one of the core members of a band humbly named Nobodi Important.
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Virgilio Alberto Baez
Dancer, Percussionist, and Capoeirista
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Albert has spent most of his life in Charlotte, NC. He's been a samba dancer and capoeirista with NCBAP for two years now.
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Dan Curlin
Percussionist and Capoeirista
Music and arts have always been a big part of Dan’s life. He’s been a part of NCBAP since 2020, but has been heavily influenced by Brazilian culture for many years.
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