Descendant of slaves this gorgeous Afro-Brazilian was born next to Copacabana beaches, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on July 5, 1977. Daughter of a single mother she promptly showed passion for dance and ballet. Encouraged by her mother she starts taking ballet lessons when she is just eight years old.

She stars in local carnivals creating choreographies and designing costumes but it is not until adolescence when she exchanges her ballet shoes for a karate kimono. Her personal discipline and outstanding skills make her karate teacher train her for the state trials. But soon before the tournament a knee injury forces retirement from karate and leads Dunia into a classic Brazilian sport – capoeira. She meets an Afro band and prompty joins the group dancing and doing the vocals.

At sixteen life strikes hard and she loses her mum which puts her in charge of the whole family including her little sister. All this happens while she takes care of her COU studies, a job as a clerk and her musical career. She doesn´t get any money from her shows but she participates with great enthusiasm. March 1996 – During one of these shows she calls the attention of a samba show promoter who offers Dunia a contract to work in Spain as a dancer. The idea of bringing her childhood dreams to life seduces Dunia and makes her forget ideas about stepping into college to study architecture, quit her job and start rehearsals on the double. July 1999 – At nineteen she arrives in Gran Canaria island, Spain and surrounded by her new dancers she performs in every single hotel for the amazement of both northern Europe tourists and travellers.