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Bio Was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and as all "cariocas" do she Learned how to dance the Samba in her early years. In her teenager years she perfected her dancing skills with professionals “Sambistas” (a samba dance master) from Rio's traditional Samba Schools but Viera’s samba school is "Beija-Flor" from Rio's suburb Nilopolis where her relatives live; Beija-Flor was many times champion of the Carnaval Carioca (given name to the people born in Rio de Janeiro). Samba1 Dance Group's costumes comes from Beija-Flor every year. Later she moved to Salvador, Bahia, the birthplace of the samba, and became even more involved in dancing. In 1996 Shirley Vieira joined Chicago samba as a Sambista and just a year later, with the incentive of her family in Brazil, she created the "Samba1 Dance Group", now she travels to Brazil once a year not just to be up to date with the Brazilian dance in general but also to bring new, authentic, costumes from Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval that together with her own creations makes her wardrobe complete and varied that will for sure satisfy any customer’s request. Samba1 Dance Group performs with many Brazilian bands such as Paulinho Garcia, Chicago Samba and Marshall Vente, and also with their own customized CD music and among their clients are many Universities, Museums, International Events, Gala Ball Events, Fund Raising, nightclubs, Brazilians Churrascarias (Steak Houses) and Jazz clubs, in Chicago area and in the Midwest Region. However, the group had performed in Pittsburgh, PA, and recently in Long Beach, CA (2005). Shirley has been the samba instructor for the Chicago Summer Dance Program held by the City of Chicago in the past years, she is the Brazilian Dance instructor at the Old Town School of Folk Music of Chicago and in addition has given many Samba workshops giving to her audience the authentic flavor of the dance and the culture of Brazil. Working with Shirley in many of the Samba1 Dance Group’s event is Edilson Lima, an outstanding dancer and the official group’s choreographer, among other beautiful Brazilian dancers that keeps showing up in Chicago.
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