My Story

I am originally from Porto Alegre, Brazil, but I spent most of my childhood in the small town of Camaqua. This is where my first contact with dance began in 1983, at the age of three, when I started attending Ballet classes at Nina Cecilia Dance School. I dedicated eleven years to the School, taking part in a variety of courses, workshops, festivals, and concerts. By the age of fifteen, I was already teaching Ballet classes for beginner levels.

Who is Andriza and where has Dance & Yoga come from?

After finishing high school at sixteen, I considered studying Dance as a graduation course, but it was not yet offered in my state. Therefore, I decided to pursue a degree in Education and Pedagogy, which gave me a vast amount of knowledge about the art of teaching, including psychology, philosophy, methodology, and didactics. Taking a big step at seventeen, I opened my own dance school, Ballet & Cia Dance School. We had a hundred students enrolled and offered different types of dance.

While in the Pedagogy course, I kept studying Dance, attending seminars, meetings with dance teachers, courses, and workshops. After completing the Pedagogy Degree, I was ready to pursue a Post-Graduate Course in Dance. Furthermore, I worked in some Kindergarten Schools and for four years, I taught dance classes for children, young people, and elderly people in social vulnerability situations for Camaqua City Government’s Department of Social Action.

In 2005, I completed the Post Graduate Course in Dance and participated in an audition for dancers, being selected. In 2006, I was given the opportunity to travel to China with a group of 25 professional dancers for a six-month tour around the country with several dance shows.

Living and working in China for 9 years was an incredible experience that I cannot put into words. After a year of solely working as a professional dancer, I was presented with many opportunities to teach and quickly found myself determined to make this country my home. My journey as an independent professional in China began, filled with numerous discoveries, challenges and achievements. I had the chance to visit Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and even Hawaii, and also began my journey with Yoga, finding a newfound balance and peace away from home. During my time in China, I was lucky enough to participate in major events such as the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. I also worked for JZ School, a renowned music school in Shanghai, as well as various gym chains and educational institutions. Additionally, I was employed by Simerx – International Trade & Development, providing Corporate Yoga services.