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Dandara at the Montreux Jazz Festival

Pra Gandaia is an energetic Brazilian music group fronted by the dynamic singer Dandara. Dandara's singing career began in her home town, Salvador, Bahia, considered the soul and heartbeat of Brazil. Her deep, spicy singing voice and her vibrant dance and performance style makes her a a sensation on stage. Her exceptional voice and her contagious way of moving, dancing and jumping on the stage, has led her to be called the "Brazilian Tina Turner.” Inspired by the richness and sensuous swing of Bahia's rhythms, she has been able to create a mixture of many sources involving rhythms from the Caribbean, Africa, and Cuba. No one can stand still during her performances!!

Dandara has traveled all over Brazil singing on top of “Trio Eletricos” during Carnaval and in concert halls from São Paulo to Rio. She was the featured vocalist for “Banda Relogio” with whom she recorded two cds. In 1997 a Salvador radio station and the “A Tarde” Newspaper chose Dandara as the "Nova Revelação" singer and winner of the Dodo and Osmar Award for the best new star of Axé Music. Dandára has shared the stage with the great names of Bahian Carnaval: Carlinhos Brown, Chiclete com Banana, Ivete Sangalo, Banda Eva, Ilê Aiyê and Olodum. She was invited by Claude Nabis, producer of the Montreaux Festival in Switzerland, to be part of the Brazilian Night in the festival. Along with Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben Jor, Dandára had the crowd singing and dancing in the aisles throughout the evening. From Montreaux, they went to Paris, London, Lyon and Geneva. Dandára is currently living in the Bay Area and brings her enormous talent to "Pra Gandaia".