Meet your PRESIDENTE

Liani Devito is the founder, Presidente, artistic director and dance lead of Império da Rainha.

A Brazilian samba dancer & teacher with over a decade of experience in London, she has trained and performed annually in Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval as a professional PASSISTA since 2018. She is a member of the Passistas of Acadêmicos do Salgueiro, one of Rio’s leading samba schools.

Born and raised in Santos, São Paulo, Liani lived in Brazil for 29 years and was actively involved in Carnaval across Bahia, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. She maintains close professional and cultural ties with Rio’s samba community, returning regularly to train and perform.

In London, she leads Império da Rainha and Samba de Rainha, delivering weekly classes at Pineapple Dance Studios. Her work is grounded in cultural authenticity, high-level training, and building a strong, connected samba community.

Brian is a London-based Percussionist, Rapper and Singer. Specialising in Brazilian percussion, Brian has established himself as one of London's leading practitioners of Samba music. 

Since 2009, Brian has diligently studied and taught the rhythms of Samba music to adults and children in the UK and abroad. 

His journey began under the tutelage of London's finest players of Brazilian music. He has studied directly under Barak Schmool (founder of Rhythms of the City/ a teacher at the Royal Academy of Music), Iian Pattison (former Mestre de Bateria of Paraíso School of Samba/ founder of União da Mocidade), Bosco de Oliveira (founder of London School of Samba) and Paulo Esteves da Silva (founder of Paraíso School of Samba/former Mestre de Bateria of G.R.E.S Estacio de Sá, Rio de Janeiro) to name a few. 

He was the Mestre de Bateria (Drum master) of Paraíso Samba School from 2017 - 2023, winning the Notting Hill Carnival 3 times under his leadership. He is internationally renowned, having led carnival parades in Ireland, France, Poland, and Germany and taken part in the famous Rio Carnaval.

Alex is a percussionist and music producer and has been playing samba since 2011. As one of the longest ever serving members of Rhythms of the City (ROTC), Alex performed, taught and arranged for the group for over a decade. 

In Rio, Alex has the honour of being in the baterias of Porto da Pedra and Estácio de Sá, having also performed alongside Acadêmicos do Salgueiro and their madrinha, Estação Primeira de Mangueira.

Outside of the Sambadromo Alex has also performed as part of Rio's biggest Blocos: Monobloco, Bangalafumenga and Sargento Pimenta.

In London, Alex is the leader of Pocket Bloco, London's newest carnival group, bringing the sound of the world's biggest street party to the UK.

At Imperio da Rainha, Alex teaches tamborim at all levels. Members of our tamborim section receive authentic education in tamborim developed through years of dedicated research and a world renowned pedagogical approach.

Leila’s love of Brazilian culture and samba started in 2003 with her first trip to Rio de Janeiro. 

She has taught and performed in London and abroad for the past decade and a half. 

With a background in fashion design, Leila is a household name in the Brazilian samba costume community (ILa Leila). Her designs are envied worldwide for their fine craftsmanship and attention to detail. She has produced works for Notting Hill Carnival, Rio Carnival, Copenhagen and many more since 2012 and has clients in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Australia. 

In 2021, she started an online costume-making workshop - the only of its kind - and continues to expand her reach by showcasing her innovative and exquisite creations.

Manny is a teacher, DJ, and percussionist who began his journey with samba in 2008 as a member of União da Mocidade. Since then, he has been actively involved in the Brazilian samba community.

Since 2014, Emmanuel has taught samba to both adults and children in the UK through the Paraiso School of Samba, as well as programs like the National Citizen Service (NCS) and at his school.

He has proudly participated in several samba groups, including Rhythms of the City, Bloco X, Pocket Bloco, and TalkingDrum.

From 2012 to 2023, Manny was a member of Paraíso Samba School, where he helped the group win the Notting Hill Carnival five times.

Manny joined Império da Rainha in 2024 as the Director of Caixa and Surdos. During the school's debut, he secured third place at the Notting Hill Carnival.

Lizzie is the Diretora de Chocalho at Império da Rainha. She has been involved in the London samba scene since 2015. After moving to London to study jazz saxophone, she joined Rhythms of the City (ROTC), where she studied, performed and toured internationally for seven years.

In 2023, Lizzie spent six months in Rio de Janeiro deepening her knowledge of samba. This culminated in her parading in the grupo especial parade at the sambadrome with Porto da Pedra and performing with Caçique de Ramos. Since then, she has returned to Rio annually to parade with Porto da Pedra and take part in rehearsals and performances with a range of other escolas de samba and blocos.

Lizzie runs her own nine-piece Brazilian group, Leoa, for which she arranges and writes original music inspired by a wide range of Brazilian musical traditions. She also plays surdo in Pocket Bloco, is part of the caixa section at Bloco X and is regularly involved in pagode in and around London.

With 17 years of experience teaching music to people of all ages, Lizzie brings together her educational background and passion for samba in her role at Império da Rainha.