Born and raised in Salvador, Bahia, Tania Santiago grew up in the heart of African-influenced Brazil. She has taught, danced, and choreographed for the most well known companies in Brazil. Tania has also extensively studied other forms of dance such as Jazz, Ballet, West African, Afro-Cuban, and Modern dance. She spent six years working with Olodum, a highly respected and internationally acknowledged Bloco Afro in Brazil. Tania also choreographed and performed for Olodum on television, at concerts, and at music festivals. Since 1997 Tania has been teaching classes and giving workshops in California, New York, Hawaii, Florida, and Vancouver, Canada. She has been an artist in residence at various school programs in San Francisco as well as a featured teacher at the Brazil Camp in Northern California.