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.

Adriana is a Monitora level, (pre-instructor with permission to teach class) with the International Capoeira School -under the leadership of Mestre Esquilo and Contra-Mestre Zumbi. Adriana previously studied Capoeira and belonged to the group, Capoeira Malês led by Mestre Curisco Mestre Lua Branca and Contra-Mestre Morcego. 

Adriana holds the official title of “Passista” with the 83 year old “Seria A” Samba School, G.R.E.S. Unidos de Bangu located in Rio de Janeiro. Adriana is currently mentored by the world renowned Alex Coutinho, Passista Director of the Rio de Janeiro Samba School: G.R.E.S. Paraíso do Tuiuti.  She has logged 7 hours a week of training with Coutinho since April of 2020 and has received his personal support in being a representative of his style of Samba no Pé. Adriana now holds the official honorable Title of “Muse” or “Musa” for the Seria A Samba School Lins Imperial. Historically, the title of “Muse” has not been offered to non-Brazilians, Adriana is deeply honored to fulfill this position and takes its significance seriously. Adriana has been personally selected by the director of Passistas to hold the title of “Passista” for Unidos de Bangu for a second year in a row. Adriana is a member of the prestigious wing of international Samba dancers, the “Poderosas” led by Alex Coutinho and Ale Jansen and will be parading with  this group with Samba School  Acadêmicos do Cubango in 2022. Adriana has been personally selected to parade with three different Samba Schools for Carnaval 2022.

Adriana is also fortunate to receive mentorship from Janete Silva from Silva Dance Company since 2017and from Master teacher Nildinha Fonseca from the Balet Folclorico da Bahia for her study of Samba-Afro, Samba de Roda and simbology of Orixa dance. Adriana completed the 4 day intensive Mestra Nildinha Fonseca: “Choreographic Process”, hosted by the Toronto based dance Company, “Dance Migration” and continues to receive guidance from Mestra Nildinha. Adriana successfully completed level 2 of Silvestre Technique training in Bahia Brazil in 2018 and has since completed the online intensive in 2020.