Friday, July 4, 2025
About Capoeira Angola
Capoeira Angola, a Brazilian martial art that blends dance, acrobatics, and music, deeply rooted in African traditions. Originating in the 16th century, Capoeira was developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil as a means of physical and cultural self-defense.
Characterized by fluid, rhythmic movements, Capoeira emphasizes agility, strategy, and improvisation. Practitioners, known as capoeiristas, engage in a playful yet competitive exchange of attacks and evasions within a roda (circle), accompanied by traditional instruments like the berimbau (a single-string percussion instrument), atabaque (drum), and pandeiro (tambourine).
Beyond its physical aspects, Capoeira embodies resistance, resilience, and community, serving as a cultural expression of Afro-Brazilian identity. Over the centuries, it has evolved from an outlawed practice to a celebrated art form recognized worldwide. Today, Capoeira is taught and practiced globally, fostering connections across cultures while preserving its rich heritage.
In Bellingham, classes are taught by Matteo Tamburini, student of Mestre Silvinho. Matteo has been practicing Capoeira for over 15 years and was recognized as a Treinel (one who has the capacity to teach) at the 2019 International Capoeira Angola Foundation conference.
Characterized by fluid, rhythmic movements, Capoeira emphasizes agility, strategy, and improvisation. Practitioners, known as capoeiristas, engage in a playful yet competitive exchange of attacks and evasions within a roda (circle), accompanied by traditional instruments like the berimbau (a single-string percussion instrument), atabaque (drum), and pandeiro (tambourine).
Beyond its physical aspects, Capoeira embodies resistance, resilience, and community, serving as a cultural expression of Afro-Brazilian identity. Over the centuries, it has evolved from an outlawed practice to a celebrated art form recognized worldwide. Today, Capoeira is taught and practiced globally, fostering connections across cultures while preserving its rich heritage.
In Bellingham, classes are taught by Matteo Tamburini, student of Mestre Silvinho. Matteo has been practicing Capoeira for over 15 years and was recognized as a Treinel (one who has the capacity to teach) at the 2019 International Capoeira Angola Foundation conference.
I am humbled to be entrusted with this responsibility, and in my role as caretaker I do my best to teach what Mestre Silvinho has taught me, while continuing to deepen my own understanding and learning.
Capoeira has changed my life for the better in radical ways, and it has helped me reconnect with my own ancestral roots in Italy and Ireland, as well as informed my understanding of my place in a profoundly racist society such as our own.
Capoeira has changed my life for the better in radical ways, and it has helped me reconnect with my own ancestral roots in Italy and Ireland, as well as informed my understanding of my place in a profoundly racist society such as our own.
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