World Dance Teacher Celebrates
20 Years in the Bay Area

By Conceicao Damasceno

I fell in love with the Bay Area, and I arrived to stay in December 1987 with all my possessions in a $700 VW rabbit! I was fascinated by the cultural mix, and especially the number of people representing Brazilian culture here. I thought that here is a place where I can represent my culture and make a contribution.

Unfortunately, I also noticed that there was a lot of competition between the various groups. And so because it is my personal belief that Art should not be competitive, I decided to form my own group called Ginga Brasil. The journey with Ginga Brasil has been an adventure. I have had the opportunity to work with many great Bay Area based dancers and musicians including Dennis Broughton, Mestre Beicola and Mestre Itabora. Memorably opening shows for Tania Maria, Gilberto Gil, Celia Cruz, Flora Purim and Airto and for Margareth Menezes. This year we celebrated 20 years of parading in the San Francisco Carnaval.

However, for me the folkloric tradition alone wasn't enough to show my culture. I needed to choreograph my own work which led to a series of music and dance performances entitled 'Mistura Brasileira'. This combined traditional dance with choreography representing my own life experiences growing up in Bahia. Scenes including the pain and anguish of mothers who have lost infants to sickness, the seeming contradiction of worshiping Catholic Saints and African Gods side by side, and my favorite depicting women and children washing clothes by the river bank (which was dedicated to my six sisters with whom I grew up in the countryside of Bahia).

In 1998 I was teaching at No Sweat Dance Studio in Berkeley when the owner offered to sell me the business. I had about $100 in the bank! So with no experience and lots of courage, I borrowed the money and bought the studio. Renamed the World Dance Center, the studio was a popular destination on Solano Avenue, especially during the annual Solano Stroll! Finally high rent forced us to leave, and I remember people crying the day we closed our doors.

But the beautiful thing about the experience was that it gave me the opportunity to create BrasArte, a non profit dedicated to preserving Brazilian culture and to providing cultural exchange opportunities. Through this we were able to bring Raizes de Santo Amaro (the oldest folkloric group in Bahia) to the Bay Area in 2000, and the following year Ile Aye, the first Bloco Afro dedicated to Afro Brazilian culture and conciousness. We have also sponsored many dancers and musicians who are now based in the Bay Area. However, my most precious project is the work we have done with the children. Through the Borboletas (Butterflies) children's dance troupe, we are passing the culture to a new generation.

The struggle and the dream have continued. In partnership with Mestre Acordeon, and once again with faith, courage and borrowed money, our new location is taking shape, and we are offering classes again.

Twenty one years ago I came to the Bay Area as a visitor. Today, I am proud to invite all to visit and be our guest in our new home.

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