Eduardo & Ana Paula Marques Mendonça

Brazil Center was created in 2004 by Brazilian immigrants Eduardo and Ana Paula Mendonça

Eduardo and Ana Paula, Brazilian immigrants, co-founded the nonprofit Brazil Center. and BrasilFest ( Brazilian Festival ) has been held free of charge at the Seattle Center since 1999. It is the area’s best-known Brazilian festival.Eduardo was born in Salvador, Bahia,Brazil. Eduardo is a guitarist, percussionist, singer, composer, and director of "Show Brazil!".He traces his heritage to a royal African family called "Mama Beka", meaning “Prophet of the Royal Court".Ana Paula is a Promoter and Co-Founder of Show Brazil Productions, a Seattle area company created in 1995 to promote Brazilian arts and education opportunities in the U.S and Canada.. Ana Paula Mendonça was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and has lived in the United States since 1987, a naturalized US citizen.

Board of Directors

Marta Santone

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Marta has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. She has 12 years of experience in event planning and has specialized in Digital Marketing. She is expanding her expertise by studying Graphic Design.

Nadine Waldmann

Nadine was born in Belin, Germany. Nadine is a Jazz, Brazilian, and Latin singer. She is a model and acts in com-mercials, in film and on the internet.

Auxiliadora Oliveira Newman

Dora Oliveira Newman has performed and taught Afro-Brazilian dance for over 50 years. Ms.Newman has worked as choreographer for Washington state based samba schools: Vamola and SambaOly. Currently, she continues to tour the US, Canada, and South America as lead dancer with Ocheami and Show Brazil!.

Steven Caxambu

Steven was born in Los Angeles, CA. Caxambu works tirelessly, constantly, and unselfishly promoting Brazilian arts and culture in the Pacific Northwest, primarily as a musician and capoeirista. Since forming the first Samba-Reggae band in Seattle in the mid-90s he has remained active and involved in the Brazilian community and continues to this day playing for dance classes, music and dance performances, teaching in schools, and helping stage Brazilian cultural events.

Committee Members

Lindsey Dabek

Lindsey was born in Seattle. WA. Lindsey is a shop manager at the Seattle Art Museum. She was a student of Latin American studies at the University of Washington. She sang with Eduardo Mendonca and The MusicWorks Northwest Brazilian Jazz Combo Seattle Brasilfest.

Evangivaldo Santana

Evangivaldo Santana was born in the state of Bahia and grew up in the Brotas section of Salvador. He was educated as a Nursing Assistant with a specialty in industrial medicine in Rio de Janeiro. He also graduated from culinary school in Bahia. During his time at the Federal University in Bahia he was involved in Projeto Rondon, a cultural and educational mission into the countryside.

Claudia Sá

Claudia was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and now lives in Seattle WA. This music and art lover says Singing and Writing are her passions. She has a bachelor's degree in Library Science - Information Technology, and she is pursuing a second bachelor’s in Computer Science.She says, “Smile is my best friend.”

Patricia Fox