Contra Mestra Andrea was born in Belo Horizonte (BH) in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. She began training capoeira in 1992 with Mestre Primo of Grupo Iuna in BH. In 1994 she joined GCAP with Mestre Jurandir and participated in the evolution of FICA in 1996. Since then, she has supported FICA in BH through her participation in conferences, encounters and workshops with various Mestres from Brazil. In 2003, she was given the title of Treinel by Mestres Cobra Mansa, Jurandir and Valmir, and in the same year moved to Oakland to train and to teach with the group. She has since travelled to teach workshops in other FICA groups in the U.S. with her son, Adrian Ribeiro Cintron, born in 2005 and now a solid member of the group. In 2011, she was given the title of Contra Mestre at the FICA International Conference in Salvador, Bahia.