Freedom To Dance

Welcome to the Soulful Sister Collective! We're a community and sisterhood, dedicated to the inclusion, appreciation and empowerment of Black Women. Join Issaura for culturally rooted dance experience at the JAE Dance Center. Scroll to bottom for event FAQ's.

The Workshop: We're excited to bring you a very special dance experience, led by Isaura Oliveira. Join Mestra Isaura for a 90-minute dance workshop, exploring the African roots of Samba. Samba carries centuries of West African tradition, spiritual power, and Bahian soul. Mestra Isaura brings it all into one transformative workshop 💃

"Isaura's classes bring Brazilian culture rooted in African and Indigenous traditions - both traditional and contemporary - into the modern environment of a dance studio. Through movement, natural elements, and cultural dance, Mestra Isaura's methodology creates a ritual experience woven with chants, body percussion, rhythm, and storytelling. Every movement carries meaning and purpose, building dance technique, fitness, and overall wellbeing."

Meet Your Instructor: Isaura Oliveira

• Mestra Isaura Oliveira is a black indigenous woman born and raised in Salvador, Bahia, one of the cradles of Afro-Brazilian culture, where many African and Indigenous traditions and arts are maintained and nourished. Isaura is a multidisciplinary artist of dance, theater, music, and costume. As a cultural educator and independent scholar, Isaura's expertise is dance, culture, history, and social movement of her Afro-Brazilian heritage.

• Isaura is a close observer of cultures of the African Diaspora. She is dedicated to teaching culture and creating experimental dance and multi-disciplinary performances. Isaura also follows updates on the contemporary life of indigenous peoples of Brazil and beyond. Her interest in arts, culture, and humanities started when she was a little girl following her elders in their every-day life. Isaura serves as Mestra and mentor on her fields of expertise. Her works have been documented by distinguished sources including the PBS and BBC TV documentary Dancing #5: New Worlds, New Forms, representing Brazilian dance. Her first full-length one-woman show Malinke', is featured in the book Dancing Bahia, in a chapter by Dr. Yvonne Daniel. Isaura's second solo show, and first in the USA, Ancestrais, was supported as an in-progress project by Smith College and Festival Cantar of Costa, Italy. MIT’s Theater and Music departments, sponsored and presented Ancestrais with three evenings of sold-out shows, receiving a positive review from The Boston Globe.

• In 2020, Mestra Isaura created a program inspired by her personal practice in nature for community activity in safe environments: Living Experience Outdoors, a healing-arts and fitness-wellness program held in public parks and private yards, gardens, beaches. In 2019, Isaura founded Power of Skirts for parade and dance workshops in events of BIPOC neighborhoods. Power of Skirts evolved along the years to a performer training program, then into an experimental multidisciplinary training and performance ritual. Isaura recently transformed her choreography for PofS YABAS to a collaborative interdisciplinary production spread at the Strand Theater; building as the result of LAB and Next Steps Grants of the Boston Foundation, Mass Cultural Council - Creative Experiences Grant and City of Boston Arts and Culture -Neighborhood Activation Grant. Isaura teaches seasonal workshop series on Sundays at the Dance Complex and in events around New England. To learn more about Isaura's work, visit www.raizesculturais.org

FAQ's:

What should I wear? Something you feel comfortable moving freely in. We recommend loose pants or a flowy skirt, to really embrace the experience. This class is best done barefoot 🦶

What should I expect:

• A warm up to wake up the body.

• A breakdown of basic samba movements

• A good time!

  
  

What's parking like?

St. parking is limited. We recommend Spot Hero for the best available options.

What If I can't make it?

It happens! While we are unable to refund your order, you CAN utilize your credit for a future event.