Ilu Women

Women of the Drums

Formed by five women, Adriana Aragao, Beth Beli, Girlei Miranda, Mafalda Pequenino and Miniwa do Ebano, the Ilu Women Band develops work on musical research related to the origins of the Brasilian music, which includes the black culture's rhythms, songs and dancing performance.

Adriana Aragao.

She is a percussionist and a singer who studies and takes part in the Candomble's religion. She has received from her masters (Saint Caretakers), Mother Dida of Xango and Father Alexandre of Oxossi Kanzile, the permission to play the holy drum Rum-Pi-Le.

In 1995 she took part on a women group called " Terezinhas" In 1997 she joined the Ilu Women Band where she remains until nowadays. She is one of the directors and also the Second Drums Master from the Afro Oriashe Group (SP-Brazil).

She works at Morumbi neighborhood 's community inside the project "Awakening Art", and she also works as an art-educator at the "To Warn Her" Project, sponsored by the Pao de Acucar Company, branch of human development, at Jardim Sao Luiz, SP- Brazil.

Beth Beli.

She is a percussionist, a singer and a Drum Master who had her first contact with the music life in 1987. Nowadays, her musical references are the Great Samba Schools from Sao Paulo.

In 1993 she took part on "Banda-la", the first afro group from Sao Paulo. In 1995 she joined the "Grande Companhia de Mysterios e Novidades", directed by Ligia Veiga and, in 1996, together with her partner Girlei Miranda, she created the Ilu Women Band.

Nowadays, she is the regent of the Afro Oriashe Group and she also woks teaching needy children from Sao Paulo suburb the art of playing drum and others percussion instruments. Yet, she works at Morumbi neighborhood 's community inside the project "Awakening Art" localized in the Albert Einstein Ambulatory.

Gilrlei Miranda.

She is a percussionist, a composer and a singer who was introduced to the music life by her father, Gilberto Bonga , a samba master from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro who was the co-establisher of the Samba Schools "Rosas de Ouro" and "Unidos do Peruche" from Sao Paulo.

She has begun to develop researches on the afro brazilian rhythms, specially the drum ones, achieving, as a result, the position of director of the percussion players and the singers at the "Banda-la" Group.

Since 1987 she sings and composes to the Afro Oriashe Group. In 2000 she started to teach young actors how to play percussion instruments at the Theatre House Celia Helena and Ligia Cortez (SP-Brazil).She has joined the Ilu Women Band as its musical director, the "Meninas do Conto" Group and also the "Grande Companhia Brasileira de Mysterios e Novidades (RJ-Brazil), a theatre and circus group directed by Ligia Veiga.

Miniwa do Ebano.

She is a ballet dancer and choreographer. In 1989 she participated as a dancer and as a backing vocal on the Mother Africa Concert with Master Lumumba and his band, done at the "Vergueiro" Culture Center Theatre.

She dances to the Afro Oriashe Group and also at many events achieved by the Culture Secretariat of Sao Paulo Municipal District.

In 1993, she worked together with the actors who performed the Opera "500 years", directed by Naum Alves de Souza at The Municipal Theatre of Sao Paulo. As a dancer and as a afro-brazilian dance monitor, she joined the "Cultural Afro Iris" Group in many workshops performed at the "Alfredo Volpi" Cultural State Home.

She has also worked as a teacher of Afro Contemporary Dance at "Funarte" and as a dance art-educator on the project "Partners of the Future", achieved by the Secretariat of Education of Sao Paulo.

Nowadays, she is one of the dancers who integrates the "Black Art Ballet of Umes"(SP-Brazil), performing the show "Revolta dos Males". She is also the Afro Oriashe Group choreographer and the Ilu Women Band backing vocal and dancer.

Mafalda Pequenino.

An actress and a backing vocal, she has worked at many plays and, since 2002, she joined the Ilu Women Band doing its backing vocal.