Duo Lindy Hop dancing in Brighton to raise money for wedding

For Nanda Dias and Hugo Coimbra, dance has always been a huge part of their relationship.

It was, after all, how the couple met, with Nanda looking to a dance group on social media as she searched for a housemate ahead of a daunting move to Portugal from her native Brazil.

“I was looking for a place and went on a Lindy Hop page on Facebook,” the 29-year-old explained.

“Hugo is not really a social media guy but, on that day, he decided to help two people out, and one of them was me.”

Their favoured dance style - a lively combination of Jazz, tap and Charleston - was born in New York in 1928, experiencing immense popularity during the swing era of the 1930s and 40s.

But, after they stumbled upon each other, it was not just their feet that moved quickly.

The pair started talking online in September 2016, agreeing to meet when Nanda travelled to Porto later that year.

“It was Christmas time so everything was very beautiful, Porto was full of lights” Nanda said.

“We went for a walk in the city and he showed me around. In one of the squares, they had four or five swings and we took a picture sitting on one of them.

“It had the word ‘hug’ written above it, so I gave him a hug.”

Though Nanda admitted neither of them were really looking for a partner, the pair have stuck together ever since.

Nanda moved to Portugal to finish her masters degree, competing in Lindy Hop competitions with Hugo, now 27, in her spare time.

It was there they discovered the joys of dancing in the street, delighting passers-by with their 1930s inspired outfits and Jazz Swing style.

Nanda said: “We had no jobs, nothing. So we started dancing in a place which translates as Flower Street.

“We would give people flowers when they would donate, and that’s how our name came about.”

They now dance under the moniker Jazz 'n' Flowers.

CLICK HERE>>>To see more from Jazz 'n' Flowers on their Instagram page

An exciting few years followed; filled with studying, travelling and, of course, dance.

After enjoying their time together in Portugal, the couple made the switch to Sweden where Hugo was completing an Erasmus year as part of his own studies.

They stayed in the Scandinavian nation for six months before making a beeline for Brazil.

This was a homecoming for Nanda, but the move proved problematic for Hugo with restrictions threatening to tear the couple apart. They had to act quickly.

Nanda said: “It was not romantic at all. We needed to get married to stay in Brazil longer.

“We had to sign the papers and didn’t need to say yes or no.

“We have a partnership agreement - we didn’t want to do it like that but we had no choice.

“We agreed not to celebrate. We want to have a wedding with him asking and then a ceremony with friends.”

It was through this, in 2017, that the couple decided to try and raise money for their dream wedding by busking on the streets.

Nanda says she is hoping Hugo will propose this year, though it is clearly not a question of if but when.

After several months in Brazil, they decided it was again time for a change, and this time they made their way to the UK.

They moved to Winchester in 2018, and Nanda admitted the transition was difficult at first.

“We were applying for a lot of countries,” Nanda explained.

“We were trying to get jobs anywhere which was English speaking as we both spoke the language.

“When we started dancing in Winchester it was hard for us as immigrants. We didn’t know anyone.

“But we soon got to know everyone, people would come out of their shops to give us water.

“When you dance it changes everything, it’s magical.”

And the pair received an even warmer welcome from those who spotted the small sign they laid out on the pavement next to a donations bucket.

“Help us get married,” it reads.

Nanda said: “When people see why you are doing what you are doing, they come over and talk - we met some lovely people.

“Some amazing things happen when you dance in the street, at one point someone did a painting of us.”

They stayed in the Hampshire city for a year-and-a-half before making their most recent move, travelling to Brighton in November last year.

Nanda said: “We wanted to come to Brighton because it’s magical. It’s a wonderful city.

“We visited once before and fell in love with it.”

After a couple of months settling in they prepared to dance on the streets of Brighton for the first time, but the coronavirus crisis soon halted these plans.

They had to wait until earlier this month before they could show the city their skills, but soon captured the hearts of those passing by in Gardner Street.

Nanda said: “It was amazing. We always dress up, and we always have older people coming up to us and saying, ‘I used to dance like that’.

“People usually stop for the music and the clothes, then they see the sign and say, ‘oh, that’s beautiful’.”

Nanda and Hugo had hoped to travel back to Brazil for their wedding next May but, as with so many things, the pandemic put plans on hold.

So the couple will continue to dance in the streets of Brighton, hoping to celebrate their wedding ceremony some day soon.