On a beautiful but cold morning I went to Napa Valley not to talk wine but, ironically, to talk Samba fashion, culture and of course Samba costumes....Ok, I confess, I happily had a "few" glasses of wine too.

My guest, Maria Cristina Skowronski Flynn and her beautiful daughter Maria Luiza received me for an interview in their home. They were both very gracious and welcoming hosts as we filmed this episode of Sexy Samba Soul™ Show. Luiza even modeled a pair of shoes for us. Thank you beautiful Luiza!

Maria Cristina is a very dynamic woman and the founder of Brazil Carnival Shop Online (www.brazilcarnivalshop.com).  She brings to the table, besides her "Brazilianness", a background in marketing and fashion (Yes, I mean she worked with Oscar de La Renta)!

On this interview she shows us beautiful dresses and passistas (Samba dancers) pieces, Samba shoes to die for and Brazilian active wear to inspire us to hit the gym and the dance studio for classes.

As an artist I love the histori...

You know, we love our hips, our bum, our "bumbum" here at the Samba Dance Academy. Samba teaches self love, appreciation and how good it feels to not have to "hide" our butt or conceal it even in movement... how good it feels to express our femininity. Unlike so many other traditions that do everything to take away the power of a woman's body!

Please check this video below of me teaching at the International Samba Congress in Los Angeles! We sure shook our hips.... 

As poet Lucille Clifton beautiful said:

"These hips are big hips they need space to move around in. They don't fit into little petty places. These hips are free hips. They don't like to be held back. These hips have never been enslaved,  they go where they want to go, they do what they want to do. These hips are mighty hips. These hips are magic hips. I have known them to put a spell on a man and spin him like a top!"

Keep shaking your bumbum.

I hope to dance with you very soon on our Online Samba Workshop. Have you...