Goncalves da Silva, Neuma

▪ 2001

      Brazilian samba dancer (b. May 8, 1922, Rio de Janeiro, Braz.—d. July 17, 2000, Rio de Janeiro), widely known as the “first lady of samba,” helped run one of Rio de Janeiro's most famous samba schools, Mangueira, and for many years represented the school as a dancer in the samba competitions held during Rio's annual Carnival celebrations. The daughter of one of the original founders of Mangueira, Gonçalves da Silva began dancing for the school at the age of seven. She went on to become an influential behind-the-scenes leader of Mangueira and was credited with having helped popularize samba as a musical form.

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