Kiwi the queen of samba
To the steady percussion of the music, an Auckland woman has danced her way through to the title of Australasian Samba Queen.
Despite the speed of the beating music and the height of her silver heels, Brazilian-born Gabriela Guimaraes never faltered in her quest for success.
Adorned with a tall, headpiece made of green feathers, and scantily dressed green bikini, she took on a number of other Samba dancers from around the world at a competition last month on the Gold Coast.
As part of her prize the 27-year-old will head to the United States in October, to be a guest performer and judge at the American competition.
Guimaraes, 27, said it meant a lot to be able to bring the crown back to New Zealand, where she’d been living for the last seven years.
“I wasn’t expecting actually to win and when I won the competition it was amazing,” she said. “Usually, the Australian girls always win because it’s over there. Bringing the crown [back here] was really nice. Finally samba is growing in New Zealand.”
Guimaraes came to New Zealand seven years ago with very little, could not speak English and did not have a lot of money. She also knew little about New Zealand beyond what she had seen in photos — but what she saw pleased her.
The dancer thought the country looked beautiful and safer, than where she was living in Brazil.
However, she said adjusting to life in New Zealand was not always easy — but she found a community through dance and fitness.
Winning the samba competition was her way of giving back.
“For me winning the Australian competition, it was more than just winning for myself — because I wanted to also challenge myself — it was more for me and the community.
“In Brazil we do dance because it’s a huge country and sometimes people go to school of samba just to forget about their problems.
“It’s not that easy in Brazil because it’s a big country and there are a lot of problems in life and everything. So for me it’s more than just a dance, it’s in my heart, it’s a passion.” Guimaraes, who has been dancing since she was 5 and is a professional samba performer and choreographer, also teaches Zumba in Auckland and dance at her school, Samba Passion. She says she is passionate about bringing samba and Brazilian culture to NZ. “It’s a pleasure and it’s amazing to see how many people in New Zealand are really interested to learn samba and to learn more about the culture.”