Born and raised in the town of Ipatinga in southeastern Brazil, Tigresa developed an interest in capoeira at a young age. She started training in 1986 and studied in her hometown for many years. She obtained her Professora belt in 1995 and began teaching. Beyond her training and teaching duties, Tigresa participated in rodas and batizados throughout Brazil.

 

In 2000, she moved to the United States and has continued the exploration of her craft. As an instructor, Contra-Mestra Tigresa teaches her students proper and safe techniques while learning capoeira’s foundational movements. She pushes them to overcome the physical and mental limits they place on themselves while maintaining her patience and humor.

 

Contra-Mestra Tigresa has decades of instructional experience and has earned a personal training certificate. In honor of her expertise and leadership, Tigresa received her Contra-Mestra belt in October of 2012. She founded Sina de Capoeira in 2015. She continues to teach adults and youth in a variety of settings, including schools, hosted workshops, and her regular classes currently held in North Seattle.