Ângela Moraes Guadagnin (born Ângela Moraes on April 8, 1948, in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

) is a Brazilian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

. She was the mayor of

São José dos Campos São José dos Campos (, meaning Saint Joseph of the Fields) is a major city and the seat of the Municipalities of Brazil, municipality of the same name in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Brazil. One of the leading industrial and res ...

from 1993 to 1996, a federal deputy for the

State of São Paulo State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

from 1999 to 2006 (two four-year terms), and is currently a city councilwoman in São José dos Campos. She caught national attention in 2006, when she performed the so-called "pizza dance" in the

Chamber of Deputies of Brazil The Chamber of Deputies () is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. The chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms. The current presiden ...

, in response to her fellow deputy João Magno having his charges of

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

dropped.

Early career

Guadagnin entered the course of

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

at the Universidade de Taubaté in 1968, graduating in 1974. In 1988, she mastered in

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

in the

University of São Paulo The Universidade de São Paulo (, USP) is a public research university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, and the largest public university in Brazil. The university was founded on 25 January 1934, regrouping already existing schools in ...

. In 2001, already a deputy, she obtained her

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

policies Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...

in the

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (, UFRJ) is a public university, public research university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the country and is one of the Brazilian centers of excellence in teaching and r ...

Pizza dance

Ângela Guadagnin is a member of

Workers' Party Workers' Party is a name used by several political parties throughout the world. The name has been used by both organisations on the left and right of the political spectrum. It is currently used by followers of Marxism, Marxism–Leninism, Maoism ...

(PT). She caught the attention of the Brazilian press when she performed a dance inside the Chamber of Deputies, celebrating that her fellow deputy João Magno of PT was absolved of charges of corruption in the Mensalão Affair. Magno's case was decided in a voting process among peers. Before the counting of the votes was finished (when it was already certain that Magno would be acquitted), Guadagnin stood up and, already dancing, walked towards the stairway and continued performing her dance in full view of TV cameras. The dance was named "pizza dance" because of the Brazilian expression "acabar em pizza" (lit. ''to end up in pizza'', which means to end up in nothing, to end up with no significant consequences, with people going out to eat pizza instead of biting the bullet). This expression has been frequently used to describe the absence of results in the investigation of politicians suspected of corruption. She apologized, some time later, saying: "I can only ask for forgiveness and understanding, because I am a human being and I express my feelings." The statewide repercussion of the episode was so great that Ângela Guadagnin was resoundingly defeated in the 2006 elections for the national Chamber of Deputies. Two years later she was successful in winning a seat in the City Council of São José dos Campos for 2009–2012.

References

External links

Official website

Ângela's profile at the Chamber's official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guadagnin, Angela Mayors of places in Brazil Politicians from Rio de Janeiro (city) Physicians from Rio de Janeiro (city) 21st-century Brazilian women physicians 21st-century Brazilian physicians Federal University of Rio de Janeiro alumni University of São Paulo alumni Brazilian people of Italian descent Brazilian women in politics 1948 births Living people Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil) from São Paulo Workers' Party (Brazil) politicians São José dos Campos