Portfolio

Carlos Rangel, originally from Brasília, Brazil, is a professional musician, music instructor, and producer. He studied at Escola de Música de Brasília, Universidade de Brasília, and Clube do Choro Rio. Carlos holds a degree in children’s music education from the Escola de Música de Brasília. As a versatile musician, Carlos works as a music producer, musical director, and teacher. He has taught music at Montgomery College in Bethesda and is an in-demand professional musician and musical director working on the East Coast. Carlos brings his extensive knowledge of Brazilian music to the Brazilian Arts Academy, guiding students through the rich landscape of Brazilian rhythms and instruments.

Amina is a seasoned Brazilian samba performer and teacher with over five years of experience performing at hundreds of weddings, corporate events, Carnival events, parades, celebrations, cultural events, and centers. She is engaging and energetic both as a performer and instructor and has created and taught choreographies for all levels of samba learners. In 2025, […]

Mariana Triginelli was born and raised in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and has been immersed in samba since the age of six. Her love for samba and Brazilian Carnival runs deep, fueling her lifelong passion for dance. Over the years, she has refined her skills through workshops with renowned samba instructors, including Natalia Moreno and Preta Nascimento. Mariana brings her vibrant energy and cultural pride to every class, making samba not just a dance, but an exciting and transformative experience for her students. Find her on Instagram at @maribythesea.

Multi-faceted drummer and percussionist Christopher Payne fuses ethnic hand percussion, orchestral percussion, and drum set to create music across a multitude of genres.

Tom Rohde is a classical guitarist who earned a Ph.D. in musicology with a minor in Latin American music from Catholic University. Dr. Rohde specializes in the music and culture of Brazil and also holds a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College. His […]

Clarissa has been training capoeira Angola for over a decade, but has used movement as expression and for fitness for much of her life (e.g., as a cheerleader, stepper, dancer). For several years, she was also a performer and choreographer for a DC-based theatre group, of which she was a co-founder (Wild Women Theatre, formerly […]

Jonal is a certified personal trainer and movement specialist who has been working with both youth and adults for over 20 years. He works with individuals in a variety of settings—school- and community-based venues, as well gyms and fitness studios—both nationally and internationally. Jonal has been a student and teacher of the principles, art form, […]

Drummer, Brazilian percussionist, and composer, Filipe Brandão holds a Bachelor’s degree in popular music from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. He was a staple in the music scene in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and his musical inspirations date back to his childhood in Sete Lagoas, also located in Minas Gerais. Since the […]

Zezeh is a Washington, DC based dancer, teacher, choreographer, and professional performer of Brazilian samba, and she is the founder of ZEZEH BRAZIL Dance Troupe. Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Zezeh Zax is a former carnival queen of the Unidos do Peruche samba school located in São Paulo. She has taught and danced professionally for over 15 years in a number of countries including Brazil, the United States, and elsewhere. In 2009, she formed ZEZEH BRAZIL as a dance troupe dedicated to bringing the great beauty, diversity, and vibrancy of Brazilian culture to the United States. Performing a number of styles of Brazilian dance—from traditional samba de roda movements of Bahia to the Afro-influenced pulsing samba reggae rhythms of Pelourinho to the intoxicating carnival batucada styles of Rio de Janeiro.

Heitor Presser’s musical influences came from home, having a musician and singer as a father. He grew up in the roda de samba and learned about Brazilian popular music from an early age. Heitor had his first contact with music in the junior band of São Bernardo do Campo Cidade in São Paulo, Brazil, where he learned music theory and played the trombone. In his teens he joined a church group where he had his first contact with the guitar, and at 23 years old he moved to the United States and joined the Brazilian music community playing different styles such as pagode, samba, forró, axé, and sertanejo. Heitor loves music and does it with love—through music, he spreads his joy and happiness.