Jaime Arôxa created a pedagogy of teaching ballroom dancing where the dance is considered as the expression of the emotions of the dancer through their movements, and the research of a better knowledge of the partner. In 1986, he founded his school « Centro de Dança Jaime Arôxa » where more than 30,000 students have registered. He has also trained more than 100 dance instructors so far, and he is still training new professionals across the entire country.
Jaime Arôxa is not only a dancer, but also a choreographer. He has worked for theatre, movies, and TV shows. He has created more than 50 choreographies for the most varied performing arts events, even for “comissão de frente” of Samba schools. While he was in an exchange programme in Cuba at the National School of Cuba, he learned to dance salsa. He also studied this dance in Costa Rica and travelled to France, Italy and Germany to compete.
Jaime Arôxa has studied tango for more than ten years in Argentina with the best teachers of Buenos Aires. He brought Lambada to Rio de Janeiro in 1989. He learned Jazz with Enid Sauer and Classical Ballet with Jean-Marie Debret. He gained great experience in everything that relies on improvisation. He developed his drama skills working for important directors such as Mauro Rasi, Domingos Oliveira, Amir Haddad, Moacyr Goes, Paulo Betti, Henrique Dias, etc…
He has been pioneering, idealising, directing and choreographing popular ballroom dancing shows such as Salao Brazil, Lambada Alada, Com o Brilho do teu olhar, Viva Brasil, Rio de Vários Sambas, Cá entre Nós, and more…
Kiri Chapman started ballet at an early age, leaving home at the age of thirteen to study at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington DC. She received full scholarships for her studies at the Kirov Academy and for summer programs at the School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theater. Upon graduating from the Kirov Academy in 2005 and immediately joined the corps of Tulsa Ballet Theater in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In her three seasons with the company, from 2005-2008, she performed nationally and internationally in choreography from Twyla Tharp, George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Ma Cong, Marius Petipa and many others. She has been recognized in several internationally acclaimed ballet competitions: Youth America Grand Prix New York Finals (top twelve), Jackson USA IBC (competitor), and New York IBC (semi-finalist) and has been featured in Pointe Magazine.
Chapman began ballroom and latin dance in NYC in 2010 and since then has been training, teaching and competing in festivals around the world. She placed 2nd in the Michigan Dance Challenge cabaret division and was a finalist in the Millennium Dancesport Championship 2014. She has taught and performed all over the world, Mexico, France, Angola, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and throughout the US. She loves to fuse her classical background and aesthetics with the energy and flair of latin dance and strives to create work that connects dancers from all backgrounds. Awards include World Salsa Open finalist, World Bachata Fusion Champion, Bachata Cabaret and Salsa Cabaret Rising Star Champion and Ultimate Latin Dance Bachata Open Champion.
She currently lives in Brazil where she and her partner, Jaime Arôxa, train and teach out of their school ‘Jaime Arôxa Iguaba’