Cultural Consultants
At FogoAzul NYC, our rhythms are built on relationships...FogoAzul NYC has hosted masters and contemporary virtuosos from Salvador da Bahia, Brazil and elsewhere who join Artistic Director Stacy Kovacs to provide scholarly and informational Brazilian History/Culture Workshops; Dance/Music Workshops; Master Classes; Oral History Exchanges; and Jam Sessions. Every year Fogo Azul NYC members travel to Salvador da Bahia to engage in cultural exchange with many Mestres and cultural intellectuals.
Adriana Portela
Samba-Reggae and Afro-Brazilian Cultural Consultant
Banda Didá, Salvador Bahia
Adriana Portela is a pioneering percussionist and the musical director of Banda Didá, Brazil’s first all-female Afro-Brazilian percussion ensemble. Based in Salvador, Bahia, she is an active partner and advisor to FogoAzul NYC. Through workshops, artistic collaboration, and cultural dialogue, Adriana helps guide our samba-reggae work with deep respect for its origins in Black Brazilian resistance and empowerment.
Marcus Santos
Afro-Brazilian Percussion Consultant Grooversity, Salvador da Bahia, São Paulo & Boston, MA, USA
Marcus Santos is a renowned Brazilian percussionist, educator, and founder of Grooversity, an international drumming network that promotes Afro-Brazilian rhythms through inclusive community-based education. Originally from Bahia and now based in Boston, Marcus brings a fusion of traditional and contemporary styles to his teaching. He has collaborated with FogoAzul NYC through workshops and cultural exchange events, offering deep insight into Brazilian rhythm traditions and global music education.
Maestrinha Elem Silva
Brazilian Music and Youth Culture Consultant Salvador da Bahia, Brazil
Elem Silva is a Salvador-based percussionist, educator, and founder of Meninos da Rocinha do Pelô, a youth percussion ensemble rooted in Afro-Brazilian traditions. She has taught with FogoAzul NYC and advises our leadership on community-centered musical practices. Elem’s work bridges generations and inspires our mission to connect music, youth empowerment, and cultural authenticity.
Mestre Memeu
Samba Reggae Music Consultant (Olodum, Salvador da Bahia)
Mestre Memeu is one of the most influential figures in Afro-Brazilian percussion and samba-reggae. Bartolomeu, now known as Mestre Memeu, was washing cars at Terreiro de Jesus - Pelourinho - Salvador when he was invited by Neguinho do Samba to join the project. Today he is the number 1 conductor of the Olodum show band, made up of 19 musicians, and the Olodum Carnival Bloco. As longtime musical director of Olodum in Salvador, Bahia, he has helped bring Afro-Brazilian rhythms to a global audience. Memeu has led percussion workshops for FogoAzul NYC and advises our founder, Stacy. His role ensures that our samba-reggae drumming is rooted in authentic Brazilian traditions.
Mestre Mario Pam
Afro-Brazilian Percussion Consultant (Ilê Aiyê, Salvador da Bahia)
Mário Pam is a master percussionist and music educator from Salvador, Bahia. As the Mestre of Ilê Aiyê—the first bloco afro in Brazil—he brings decades of experience in samba-reggae and Afro-Brazilian cultural preservation. Mestre Mario was the founder of the Banda Erê (the youth band of Ilê Aiyê) in 1992, together with a group of friends looking to promote Afro-Brazilian culture and combat racism by means of music, dance, and artistic expression. Ilê Aiyê is a pioneer of inclusion and the valorization of Black culture in the Carnival of Salvador, highlighting the beauty and pride of Afro-descendant culture, and is well known for its musicality and presenting social themes in its performances.
Mario, originally from the neighborhood of Liberdade (Salvador da Bahia), also became a professor and educator of percussion, working on social projects for youth, teaching in the Mãe Hilda Jitolu school for more than 10 years.
Mário regularly teaches workshops with FogoAzul NYC and serves as a cultural advisor, helping us stay grounded in the rhythms and social impact of Bahian music.
Mario also is the Director of the organization Tambores do Mundo, an association that promotes musical-percussion exchange projects between groups that perform Afro-Bahian music around the world. FogoAzul NYC has participated in “TDM” pre-carnival workshops and cultural classes in 2024 and 2025, and will continue to foster our connection and education through this project.
Mestre Patinho Correria Axé
Afro-Brazilian Music & Cultural Consultant (Marseille, France / Salvador da Bahia)
Patinho Correria Axé is a seasoned percussionist, composer, and educator originally from the barrio Liberdade, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. He has deep roots in Afro-Brazilian music, having grown up playing with Ilê Aiyê, one of Bahia’s most influential bloco afro groups. Now based in Marseille, France, Patinho continues to promote Afro-Brazilian rhythms through performances and workshops across Europe. He has collaborated with FogoAzul NYC, providing workshops and cultural insights that help us honor the authentic traditions and roots of samba-reggae and Afro-Brazilian percussion and maintain authentic connections with its Black Brazilian origins.
He is the leader of the Group Tambores da Liberdade , in Marseille, France.
Quenia Ribeiro
Brazilian Dance & Movement Consultant (Rio de Janeiro / New York City)
(NYC Samba Dance Company, Grupo Ribeiro)
Quenia Ribeiro is a professional samba dancer, choreographer, and instructor from Rio de Janeiro with over 25 years of experience. Based in New York City since 1997, she has taught samba dance and Afro-Brazilian movement across the U.S. and internationally, including in Brazil, Greece, Portugal, Martinique, and more. Quenia’s expertise bridges classical ballet, street samba, and Afro-Brazilian folkloric dance connected to the Orixás. She has been featured on PBS, ABC, WPIX, Telemundo, and CBS, and brings her deep knowledge of Brazilian dance to FogoAzul NYC’s samba drumming and performance training.
Mestre Gordo, Eden Paulo
Afro-Brazilian Percussion Consultant (Cortejo Afro, Salvador da Bahia)
Eden Paulo, known as Mestre Gordo, is a distinguished Brazilian percussionist and cultural educator. Born in Carapicuíba, São Paulo, he began his artistic journey at 15 in Salvador, Bahia. His professional career commenced shortly thereafter. Mestre Gordo has performed extensively across Brazil and internationally, including in Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Portugal, Germany, England, France, Greece, and Wales.
He pursued advanced studies in percussion at the Instituto Oyá under Elísio Pitta and Jorge Bafafé, and at the Escola de Música UFBA with Jorge Sacramento, specializing in music theory and percussion techniques. In 2002, he joined Balé da Mata as a musician and later served as assistant director and musical director. He also directed the percussion sections for the productions "Othello" and "Brazuka" in Liverpool.
Currently, Mestre Gordo is the musical director and percussion master of Bloco Cortejo Afro, a position he has held since its inception. He is also a member of Tribo Bóssambá, a group that blends bossa nova, African rhythms, samba, and contemporary dance and theater.
Throughout his career, he has collaborated with renowned artists such as Gilberto Gil, Carlinhos Brown, Preta Gil, and Mariene de Castro. Mestre Gordo continues to contribute to the global appreciation of Afro-Brazilian music and culture through performances, workshops, and educational initiatives.
For more information, you can visit his official Instagram page: @mestreedengordo_paraiso.
