Contra-Mestre Cristina

Cristina Oliveira was born on the 17th of February 1972, in the city of Salvador-Bahia. She started Capoeira at the age of 16, when she joined the Associação de Capoeira Mestre Bimba (ACMB), under Mestres Manoel and Risadinha. Cristina wanted to be a dancer (she studied ballet and dança-afro), but destiny made her a capoeirista. In 1995, after finishing her studies in Chemistry, Cristina moved to Paris where she started a Capoeira project with children. Shortly after that, she joined Mestre Torneiro from Grupo Senzala to help establish the “Escola de Capoeira Grupo Senzala à Paris”, where she currently teaches. Cristina’s Capoeira skills have provided her with the opportunity to participate in theatrical plays, adverts for renowned brands such as Nike, Peugeot, Mazda and Nestlé, TV shows such as Euroesporte and Fight Club, and to work as a stunt double in different film productions. Today, Cristina travels the world to give workshops in Capoeira events to which she is constantly invited. She has become one of the most renowned and respected female capoeiristas in the planet.