Mestre Curtis’ letter that he wrote over 3 decades ago and was finally able to deliver to Sabrina Ginga the Ambassador of Salgueiro Samba School!
Sabrina Ginga
Bio: Sabrina Ginga, 34 years old, is a Social Scientist, Movement Director, creator of digital content, impacting the world with her independent art and activism. She is a defender of human rights and her agenda involves gender and racial issues. Sabrina’s career includes participation in Heavy Baile in addition to years as a Funk Carioca and Afrovibe Danceworkout teacher. Recently, he shook global structures in her Ginga Tour Workshop, which was attended by more than 9 countries. Additionally, Sabrina also teaches group dynamics and Team Building activities in corporate environments. Recently awarded the title of Ambassador of Acadêmicos do Salgueiro, a traditional samba school in Rio de Janeiro. The position was created to create an international community, to build partnerships and build bridges to demonstrate the value and culture exchange created by samba schools.
Bio: Mestre Curtis can be classified as possibly the only American in the United States who has reached his level as a Master in Brasilian cultures meaning that he is the first person in this country to be recognized as a master of Capoeira the first original African martial art to leave Africa and a master of Brazilian percussion and the first to bring Master Brasilian teachers to New Orleans in the early ’90s. This is known by only a handful of people in the United States. Mestre Curtis has dedicated his life to his African roots of culture which he found in Brazil after 37 years ago.
Mestre Curtis Pierre is the founder and director of Casa Samba, the first School of Samba in Louisiana and the Southern Region. Pierre is also known as "The Samba Man" of New Orleans. He has studied Brazilian music and dance for over 30 years.
Casa Samba is located at 800 Race Street, New Orleans, LA 70130. The school offers:
Capoeira
Brazilian percussion
Dance
Culture
Afro-Brasilian dance and drum classes
Pierre also sponsors a community group called Samba Kids.
Casa Samba's performances combine traditional music and vocals. The group is directed by Pierre and Brazilian master drummer, Jorge "Alabe" Bezerra.
Hosted by Courtney Danley and Dianna Ramirez, The Brazilian Beat is a podcast that moves to the rhythm of its people. This isn't a broad survey of genres, but a focused, intimate journey into the heart of the Brazilian percussion community. Each conversation is a doorway into a different world-from the master craftsmen who build the instruments to the legendary players who give them a voice, and the community organizers who keep the traditions alive in cities across the globe. You'll hear the stories behind the surdo, the tamborim, and the agogô, learning how these instruments are more than just tools for music; they are vessels of history and identity. Courtney and Dianna guide these discussions with genuine curiosity and deep respect, allowing every guest to share not just their technical expertise, but their personal connection to the beat. Listening to this podcast feels like pulling up a chair in a roda de samba, surrounded by the warmth and complexity of a living culture. It's about the hands that shape the wood and skin, the collective energy of a bateria, and the lifelong dedication required to master a single rhythm. For anyone fascinated by the power of percussion, the social fabric of music-making, or the rich cultural tapestry of Brazil, The Brazilian Beat offers an authentic, ground-level perspective you won't find anywhere else.
Author: Courtney Danley & Dianna Ramirez
Language: en-us
Episodes: 100
Epi 114 Jonathan Hernandez Padua Dianna Ramirez & Courtney Danley Download Promotes multicultural dissemination between both countries, Mexico and Brazil, through musical dissemination. Expressing our art through samba s…
Epi 113 Diego Oliveira Courtney Danley & Dianna Ramirez Download Diego de Oliveira was Born and raised in Nilópolis. Since he was very young, Diego has lived in the world of samba. He has been a Mestre sala, was part of…
Robert Lopez Epi 112 Robert Lopez Dianna Ramirez & Courtney Danley Download Bio:Robert Lopez is a percussionist and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His background in various types of music such as folkloric…
Epi 111 Mestre Guilherme & Mestre Gustavo of Acadêmicos do Salgueiro Courtney Danley & Dianna Ramirez Download Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bjuRxPEnvOM We are running a fundraiser for a software purchase, Zoom, Ado…
Photo by Nelson Malfacini www.instagram.com/nelsonmalfacini/ Epi 109 Gustavo Perez aka Nômade Courtney Danley & Dianna Ramirez Download Gustavo Perez, nicknamed Nômade, is originally from São Paulo, where he originally l…
Epi 208 Silvia Manrique Dianna Ramirez & Courtney Danley Download Bio:About Silvia Manrique Silvia Manrique is a Chicago-based Brazilian and Latin Jazz vocalist. She has performed at respected venues and festivals like t…
Epi 107 Mestra Laísa Lima Dianna Ramirez & Courtney Danley Download Bio:Laísa Lima was born into samba, as the daughter of samba legend, Laíla, and samba performer Elaine, and granddaughter of ala director, Jurema. She g…
Renan Gohan tells us about growing up playing samba and being a director at Imperatriz today. We talk about what Imperatriz's win means for the community, what makes Mestre Lolo such a good mestre, his feelings the day o…
Bio: Michel Silva BarrosHe started in the samba world as a kid going with his father to samba schools in Nova Iguaçu, his home city on the outskirts of Rio.His debuted in samba schools was in 2001, parading for the Leão…
