Meet the Founder
Deise Costa is a Brazilian dance artist, choreographer, and cultural educator with over 15 years of experience performing and teaching in Brazil and across the United States. Originally from Piauí, she is deeply rooted in the Afro-Brazilian tradition and a passionate advocate for the preservation and sharing of Brazil’s cultural heritage.
She is a student of Rosangela Silvestre and has completed three intensive dance residencies in Salvador, Bahia through the Associação Cultural Silvestre Technique. Her training includes mentorship from renowned masters such as Vera Passos, Nildinha Fonseca, Tatiana Campelo, Dan Imperador, Dude Conceição, and Bira Santos Alabê, all pillars of Salvador's rich Afro-Brazilian dance and music community.
Deise has taught workshops at Casa SoMovimento (Vera Passos) and the Associação Silvestre, and continues to deepen her connection with Brazilian ancestral traditions through ongoing study and collaboration.
She was invited to lead an Afro-Brazilian dance residency in her home state of Piauí for the Ballet Folclórico do Piauí, under the direction of Luzia Melo, sharing her expertise and honoring the cultural richness of Northeast Brazil.
She has performed four times in Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, parading with samba schools and embodying the powerful energy and elegance of the passista tradition. Over the past seven years, she has trained extensively through various Samba Congresses and mentorship programs, learning from celebrated samba masters including Pablo Guerreiro, Thai Rodrigues, Carlinhos Salgueiro, Mayombe Masai, Aninha Malandro, Gabriel Castro, Luara Bombom, and many others from Rio de Janeiro’s vibrant samba scene.
In 2024, she choreographed and directed the halftime show performance for VamoLá at the NFL Seahawks vs Dolphins game—an unprecedented moment for Brazilian dance at a major U.S. sports event. She was also a featured instructor at Brazil Camp California 2024, and has been invited to return in 2025.
Her performance collaborations include working with Seattle Theatre Group’s DANCE This 2025, and she is a current performer with Gansango Music & Dance, under the artistic direction of Etienne Cakpo.
Deise was crowned Samba Queen USA in 2022 and won the Female Malandro Contest at the International Samba Congress in Los Angeles (2023). She is the founder of Brazilian Swag LLC, through which she offers dance programs, workshops, performances, and cultural education rooted in joy, resistance, and tradition.
Whether on stage or in the studio, Deise creates spaces for healing, empowerment, and deep cultural connection through dance.
