Friday, December 30, 2005

A New Year's Resolution


Like the blues and jazz, Capoeira is a rich hybrid art form – an extraordinary product of the confluence of African cultures in the Americas that crosses the gamut of race, class, culture and gender. Today in Brazil, Capoeira is considered a cultural treasure, a potent means of self-expression, and a dynamic tool for personal growth. It has long proven to have the ability to positively affect the lives of many.

Capoeira has progressively been established outside Brazil as an art that, in the words of one of my students, Contramestre Jordan, “when sensitively taught can become a powerful tool for awakening individuals to their greatest potentials and can serve as a vehicle for social reconciliation and a practical model for meaningful collaboration.”

I have been in capoeira for a long time, not only as a practitioner with an extensive trajectory, but also as an author, recorded musician, performer, and above all, a mestre de capoeira. I decided to begin this blog in order to answer some of the questions that I frequently receive through e-mails, as well as because I want to reflect on some of my own questions regarding capoeira. I intend to start this new adventure very slow but with the hope that it will develop as a solid jogo in a good roda. Please be patient.

Axé to all.