Martinho Fiuza

Born in Bahia, the solo dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor's artistic roots can be found in the cultural heritage of his African ancestors. He belongs to the first generation of professional dancers in Salvador with an ethnic minority background.

Martinho Fiuza began his European teaching career in 1977 in Munich, where he continues to manage his own dance school. In order to train European students in Brazilian dance as quickly as possible, he has systematized the styles and developed his own teaching method. His profound knowledge puts him in a position to guide his students in all Brazilian dance styles to a quality stage presentation.

Samba de Roda - Samba do Rio - Afro Samba, the modern Brazilian Samba is arguably the best known Brazilian dance. Its origins can be found in the rural Samba de Roda, which is still popular in the northeast of Brazil. The modern Samba do Rio is characterized by an effortlessness unfamiliar to any other form of dance. In Brazil, Samba is normally not danced with a partner (the couples dance is called Gafiera). In this workshop, Martinho Fiuza will expose participants to the entire bandwidth of Brazilian Samba: how it was danced in rural Bahia, the elegance and refinement of the dance style in Rio, and the new Afro Samba, a mixture of Samba and the movements of Afro-Brazilian Dance.

Martinho Fiuza was at the Tanzfestival Bielefeld 2010.