Tuany Tomas Nascimento is a Brazilian ballet dancer, rhythmic gymnast, and dance teacher. She is the founder and director of ''Na Ponta dos Pés'', a dance school that provides ballet training for underprivileged girls living in the favelas of Complexo do Alemão in Rio de Janeiro.

Biography

Tuany Nascimento was born and raised in the Complexo do Alemão of northern Rio de Janeiro. She started training in classical ballet and

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coord ...

as a child. She performed as a dancer and gymnast, representing Brazil at international events, including the

World Gymnaestrada The World Gymnaestrada is the largest general gymnastics exhibition. It is held every four years much like the Olympics. But the focus of this event is not on winning medals. The Gymnaestrada is about Group Performances – some with hundreds o ...

, until her career was cut short due to a lack of resources. She began working as a financial assistant after retiring from gymnastics. In 2012 she launched ''Na Ponta dos Pés'', a dance project providing classical ballet training for girls ages four to fifteen living in the Morro do Adeus favela of Alemão. Her program caters to young women and girls who are from families involved in narcotic wars, extreme poverty, and gang violence. The classes are held at an outdoor sports court in the Morro do Adeus. The program is free for students, who are required to provide their report cards showing they are enrolled in school and passing their classes in order to be eligible. In 2017 she and her ballet program were the focus of a ''Vice'' documentary titled ''Ballet and Bullets: Dancing Out of the Favela''. Nascimento lives with her mother, stepfather, and five siblings in a two-bedroom apartment on Adeus hill in the Morro do Adeus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nascimento, Tuany Living people 21st-century Brazilian dancers Afro-Brazilian female dancers Afro-Brazilian sportspeople Ballet teachers Brazilian ballerinas Brazilian rhythmic gymnasts Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city) Year of birth missing (living people)