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Cesare de Florio La Rocca, born in Florence (meaning art, aesthetics, culture, irreverence...), with an education ranging from Law to Philosophy, to Theology and back to Law; 72 years of age, of which 43 spent in Brazil, years of song and dance, years of tears and laments in the Amazon rainforest; a favela in Manaus; the charms and challenges of the Marvellous City (Rio de Janeiro); the absence of corners and excesses of the streets of Brazilia; the planetary and provincial negritude of Salvador de Bahia, of all the Saints and all the Orishas; moving from a religious organisation to a federal body, from an international agency to an NGO, carrying with him dreams and desires, passions and sad thoughts; minstrel of few victories and many defeats. Always in the name of the children and young people who make up Projeto Axé, in other words a nation’s most precious energy.

My name is Silvane and I am 16 years old. Until six years ago I had no interest in studying, but instead begged at traffic lights for money to buy food. One day I met an educator who invited me to join Axé. I told him I wanted to think about it, then one day I accepted the invitation to go and see the Centre that I would attend if I agreed to join. I fell in love with the “Canteiro dos desejos” (Unit for small children, aged 5-12) and so I agreed to begin attending Axé. I liked it a lot because I now had somewhere to play that wasn't the streets, and also because many of the educators and also some of the other students assisted me. And especially because I was back in school and I was very pleased about that.

After two years in the “Canteiro dos desejos” I decided to join the dance Unit, where I learned a bit of classical ballet and modern dance and also African dance.
Not long after, Sibele, the director of “Bandaxé”, noticed my voice and invited me to join the group. I was sad to abandon dance but music is my real passion and what I do best: music is my life, I love singing.

Almost three years have passed since I joined “Bandaxé”. I have learned, and continue to learn, many things: I have started to play the keyboard and also the guitar. I am also studying lyrical singing and all this makes me happy; it is a great experience and I believe it is my future. I thank everyone at Axé for the help they give boys and girls like myself, who can go on to build a better future for themselves.

Watch Diego during a lesson on the Projeto Axé premises

My journey with Projeto Axé began because my brother danced with Axé, and I went to see a dance performance for the first time. I was so enthralled that I wanted to take part in that marvellous performance. And so I joined Projeto Axé's dance Unit, I was 9 years old.
I had my first lesson with Professor Elisio Pita, it was a modern dance class; I liked it so much that I decided to continue dance classes and so I had lessons with the other teachers, Dina Tourinho, Augusto Omolú and Zebrinhaa.
A few months later I realised that my life had completely changed; before I was on the streets and now I spent my time studying dance and all the other subjects taught at the Axé Centre.
Slowly I began to understand that dance could be my life, and when I realised that I had the potential to become a great ballet dancer I decided to devote myself entirely to achieving success, even though I knew the effort would be huge.
My initial aim was to be admitted to Gicà, Projeto Axé's Young Dance Company, also because I wanted the opportunity to dance with my brother. I worked so hard that in 2004 I was finally admitted, and just a week later the teacher Ivete Ramos invited me to take part in a production that would be travelling to Italy. I was very surprised and especially excited to know that my first performance would be outside Bahia, in a different country, and that my brother would also be taking part.
We set off for Italy in June 2004; I was very apprehensive, it was the first time I had travelled by aeroplane. But then the apprehension gave way to enthusiasm, particularly when Professor Augusto Omolú, who considered me a son, came to see the final performance, presented the production (which he had choreographed) and embraced me at the end with such force that I was catapulted into the audience.
On our return to Brazil I had a few problems with other members of the Gicá group and I even considered abandoning dance altogether; but in the end, with the help of my teacher Lena Garrido, I realised that dance was what I wanted to do and so I continued. The following year we went to Brazilia, where we performed at the Italian Embassy. Then we went to Rio de Janeiro and I understood how happy I was thanks to dance, thanks to Projeto Axé.
In 2006 I signed up for an audition for the Bolshoi Theatre School (the branch of the famous Russian theatre in Brazil), and although I had no expectations I found myself among the finalists; when I heard the results I was almost embarrassed to discover that I has made it into the top 10. Unfortunately, however, I had not won the study grant...
But in the end Projeto Axé helped me once again, thanks to the support of Marcelo Moacyr and the intervention of the founder and president Cesare La Rocca, who secured me a study grant from the Bolshoi and additional support from a private Italian donor so I could live in Joinville, the location of the Bolshoi in Brazil.
All the studying and the dance classes I attended at Axé have allowed me to emerge as a ballerino at the Bolshoi, to the extent that my place has just been reconfirmed for another year. My dance journey continues...

Diego Jesus da Cunha, January 2008.

Note: In early 2009 Diego was hired by the Dance Company of the Bolshoi Theater School in Brazil.

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