Capoeira Angola Center of Mestre João Grande

The Capoeira Angola Center of Mestre João Grande Proudly Announces The Homage To Mestre Pastinha & Commemoration of 22 years of Mestre João Grande In New York City!
SAVE THE DATE!
April 5-8, 2012
It's Going To Be An Event You Don't Want To Miss!

A commemorative program booklet will also be published for this event which means congratulatory ads can be purchased by any individual or group! This is a unique opportunity to congratulate Mestre and/or advertise your group/business/self. Ads can be purchased for $25 for 1/4 page, $50 for 1/2 page and $100 for a full page. Ads must be submitted by March 21st. For more information, or to place your order for an ad today please email: cacapril2012@gmail.com.

Registration
4 Days - $225
3 Days - $185
1 Day - $75
1 Class - $30
Roda $20 for players
Berimbau Workshop - $100

Payments can now be made in person at the Academy. No need to make an advance workshop payment. Please prepare to pay with cash or check during the event between April 5th through to April 8th. If you have circumstances that you must pay this week, please email Paciencia and she can send you a Pay pal invoice. Email Paciencia at ddsankofa@gmail.com for those rare circumstances.

click the flyer for more details
For a list of accommodation suggestions please visit the CALENDAR

click here to simply donate!

Can't come out but still want to help??

Join the Fundraising Campaign:

click HERE TO BE DIRECTED TO THE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN SITE!

What We Need & What You Get:

We need to raise funds to sponsor special guests from Brazil, contemporaries of Mestre Joao Grande, well known Masters of the form and experts on Brazilan culture who will teach and provide context for the event. The funds will provide airfare and lodging for these special guests. Monies will also go toward financial aid for those traveling long distances and are in need of lodging as well as helping families in need pay for multiple children participating. We will also need to secure an event space that will accommodate the expected participants. Should we not reach our entire goal monies will go toward paying marketing and event collateral such as fliers, posters, post cards and t-shirts.

Other Ways You Can Help

Another way you can help is by putting the word out and tell your friends about this great event. You can do that by e-mailing the link of our campaign to your friends. You can post it on Facebook or twitter. You can share with your co-worker or a company/group that might have interest in Capoeira. You can tell your friends and family, or use of any other legal way to get the buzz going. Our team would be very grateful to you. Thank you!

CAPOEIRA ANGOLA

Capoeira Angola, an ancient martial art of African origin, is one of the many cultural weapons used to break the chains of enslavement in Brazil. Played close to the ground, Capoeira Angola combines fluid, dance-like movements with kicks, head butts, tripping sweeps and the appearance of playfulness or vulnerability. Music is played on traditional instruments to accompany the players, to teach the rhythmic heart of the art, and also to mask its power. In the eyes of the enslavers it appeared to be a joking and playful acrobatic dance, but eventually its power was realized and Capoeira was outlawed. Death was the penalty paid by those caught playing Capoeira during the slavery era. For almost 400 years Capoeira Angola was taught and practiced in secret, and only in the 1930's did this African martial art become legal to teach and practice.

Mestre João Grande in the roda

Mestre João Grande, a Grand Master of Capoeira Angola with more than 50 years of experience, is a highly respected figure in the world of capoeira and has received numerous awards. These include a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Upsala College in East Orange, NJ in 1995, and in September of 2001 he was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is one of the most prestigious awards for practitioners of traditional arts in the US.

João Grande first learned Capoeira Angola from Mestre Pastinha, who continues to be his primary source of inspiration. Mestre Pastinha opened the first Capoeira Angola School, The Academia De Capoeira Angola, in 1941 in the city of Salvador, Bahia in the northeast of Brazil. Mestre Pastinha dedicated his school to preserving and continuing the long tradition of this African martial art, teaching Capoeira Angola as a path of self knowledge and mastery. Mestre Pastinha was the first Capoeira Mestre (master) to write a book on the history, philosophy and practice of Capoeira, simply entitled 'Capoeira Angola.' He went to Africa with his students to participate in the Festival of African Arts and Culture during the 1970's and also produced albums promoting the unique musical component of this martial art.

Keeping the Tradition

Mestre João Grande teaches in the African style, as a way of life, as his teacher Mestre Pastinha did before him. He often uses metaphors relating to nature, such as the following:

Eu sou fruta madura
Cai do pé lentamente
Na queda larga semente
Procura terra fresca
Pra ser fruta novamente

I am a ripe fruit
Falling slowly from the tree
The impact spreads my seeds
Looking for fertile earth
To be fruit once again

Vincente Ferreira Pastinha

Entering Mestre João Grande's Academy, you can feel the energy of Capoeira Angola. The room is filled with berimbaus, the primary musical instrument of capoeira. Galleries of rare photos of Capoeira Angola's storied past, as well as photos from Mestre's travels around the globe, cover the walls. Mestre has a great appreciation for African culture, both from Africa itself and as it manifests in Brazil. Beautiful African sculptures, textiles and innumerable mementos from Bahia decorate the academy.

Mestre has travelled extensively in Africa, Europe, and Asia, throughout Brazil and the United States. He first travelled abroad in the 1970's with Viva Bahia, one of the first groups to perform capoeira and other Afro-Brazilian folk arts outside of Brazil. He subsequently travelled to conduct Capoeira Angola workshops in Brazil and worldwide. He has taught for capoeira groups, universities, colleges, high schools, elementary schools, and civic organizations, amongst others. If you are interested in having Mestre João Grande teach at your school or organization, please see the workshops page.