At the heart of Nottingham's Brazilian cultural scene is the Maria Bonita Dance Company, a vibrant and inspiring community of dancers dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and sharing the rich traditions of Brazilian dance and culture.
WELCOME TO MARIA BONITA DANCE COMPANY
At the heart of Nottingham's Brazilian cultural scene is the Maria Bonita Dance Company, a vibrant and inspiring community of dancers dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and sharing the rich traditions of Brazilian dance and culture.
Founded by the Brazilian Cultural Centre, Maria Bonita Dance Company was created to offer something unique: a space where Brazilian folkloric traditions meet artistic excellence, personal development, and community empowerment. More than just a dance company, Maria Bonita is a cultural movement that brings together people from different backgrounds through the universal language of dance.
Today, the company has become an important platform for promoting Brazilian heritage in the United Kingdom, showcasing the diversity, beauty, and stories of Brazil's many regions through performance, education, and cultural exchange.
Our Empowerment Promise
We promise to our members to give them space and opportunity to grow, explore, feel more confident, raise their self-esteem, find purpose within the performing arts and have a lot of fun in the process.
Our Objectives
To deliver the ethics of a professional dance company set up.
To focus on regular practice, delivery of technique, and proactively seeking touring opportunities for their members.
To deliver weekly classes, allowing members to focus on their journey and the group development, increasing their desire to learn different dance styles and conduct their research when appropriate.
To explore and use all types of dances, including but not exclusively contemporary, modern, jazz, and lyrical, to build solid foundations for our folkloric Brazilian dances.
To improve the dancers’ musicality and understanding of different rhythms from Brazil.
What does it mean to be a Maria Bonita Dance Company member?
It means you will be focused and committed to having fun and your personal growth. We promise to give our best technique and information to develop your skills and empower and allow you to tap into your unknown capabilities as a dancer and performer.
Why "Maria Bonita"?
The company takes its name from Maria Bonita (Maria Gomes de Oliveira) a member of a Cangaço band, marauders and outlaws active in the Brazilian Northeast during the 1920s and 1930s and one of the most iconic women in Brazilian history. Maria Bonita means "Beautiful Maria". She has the status of a 'folk heroine' in Brazil.
Known throughout Brazil as a symbol of courage, independence, and resilience, Maria Bonita became a legendary figure of the Northeast. Her story continues to inspire generations of Brazilian women.
By adopting her name, the dance company embraces these same values of strength, confidence, creativity, and empowerment. Every member is encouraged to discover their own voice, develop their artistic potential, and grow both as performers and individuals.
Who are Maria Bonita Dance Company Creative Directors?
Simone Dias has a lot of experience within professional dance companies in Brazil, not only as a member but also as a teacher and choreographer. Simone also has experience in dance competitions, touring, and stage performance, and she has won many competitions in her state of Sao Paulo. In addition, she has studied ballet, modern, jazz, and contemporary. Simone has used her experience in dance to work with vulnerable children to promote integration in Lisbon and Brazil. She is an eternal lover of all things Brazilian, with a vast knowledge of Brazil’s history, culture and literature. She has been sharing her love and passion for dance in Nottingham since 2014 and joined the Brazilian Cultural Centre in 2022 as a Board Director.
Tatiana Woolley has been committed to sharing Brazilian Culture within the UK for over 15 years. She started with the ABC Dance School, where she got involved in Carnival arts and led many Carnival troupes that won several awards for their impeccable choreographies and costumes. Later in 2018, she founded the Brazilian Cultural Centre, becoming its CEO and Creative Director. She has been involved in creative arts and dance projects that aim to enhance the local community’s talent in a professional set-up, building women’s confidence through art and dance. Tatiana has delivered countless performances, shows and dance theatre spectacles in the UK. She has been awarded twice highly competitive Arts Council England grants for her creative art projects and personal ambition to improve. Her latest achievement was the competitive YOUnique funding by New Art Exchange in 2023. Tatiana has been a dance teacher for nearly 20 years and has a background in contemporary, lyrical, fusion, and Brazilian folkloric dances from the Northeast of Brazil and a substantial experiential knowledge of middle eastern modern and folkloric dances.
