Capoeira Classes

After four hundred years of persecutions and prohibitions, Capoeira is still known and practiced throughout Brazil. Its artistic, philosophical, and social contents made Cpoeira one of the primary cultural features for Brazilian people.

Schedule/Prices

Currently there are no Capoeira classes on the schedule!
  • 6 Visit Pass*: $13 per class (Total: $78)
  • Drop In Rate: $18
  • Student** 6 Visit Pass: $10 per class (Total: $60)
  • Student Drop In Rate: $15
  • Included in Monthly Pass***
*To receive the Course Rate, pre-registration, and payment in full is required.
**Student discount is available to full time students only; a valid student ID will be required.
***The Monthly Pass entitles its holder to unlimited access to all classes on our group class schedule. It runs from sign up date for 30 days.
Register on line

What can students achieve?

First level
Students learn basic movements, songs, and playing instruments. They will also get introduced to Brazilian culture. Language is not a barrier! Teacher provides all tools needed in class.
How long does it take?
6 month training, after which students will participate in a Graduation Event, where they perform their skills. Masters and other students will come for the event from other cities. Relatives and friends are welcome to the event. Students passing first graduation will receive a Green Belt.

Second level
Students learn more acrobatic movements, self-defense, history of dance/masters, playing instruments and more songs.
How long does it take?
1 year of training followed by a Graduation Event. Students will receive Dark Green-Yellow Belt

Third level
Students become more sophisticated at acrobatics, self-defense, will know more songs and will be able to play instruments.
How long does it take?
1 and ˝ years of training followed by a Graduation Event. Students will receive Light Green-Yellow Belt

The Brief History of Capoiera

The history of Capoeira has gone through three phases: the slavery, the underground, and the academy periods.

THE SLAVERY PERIOD
Capoeira is a fighting technique, disguised itself as a dance in order to deceive the slave owners and their plantation foremen.

THE UNDERGROUND PERIOD
After the abolition of slavery in 1888 Capoeira dancers who had been slaves were not capable of adopting to society and became criminals practicing Capoeira underground, which resulted in Capoeira`s prohibition by law in 1892.

THE ACADEMY PERIOD
In the 1930s the prohibition law was abolished by dictator Vargas. Mestre Bimba opened the first Capoeira Academy in the city of Salvador, in the state of Bahia. Capoeira left the streets and the underground and started to be taught and practiced in the academies (like gymnastics, martial arts, etc.)

Some facts

Some estimates show that there are 25 thousand Capoeira teachers and 1 million students to be found throughout Brazil in both big cities and small villages. Brazil is larger than the continental United States and has some 180,000,000 inhabitants.
In North America there might be around 300 teachers and 10 thousand students with similar numbers in Western Europe.

Marcus Magalhaes

Marcus Magalhaes started practicing capoeira in Vitoria ES, Brazil, in 1988 in a group called Beri Bazu. He was a member of this group for 5 years and got inspired to become a professional in this form of art. Later he moved to Belo Horizonte, where he teamed up with Master Mao Branca, the president of a group called Capoeira Gerais.

In 1996 he started teaching a class in Master Moa Branca’s gym, which led him to start his own practice of teaching from 1999, which included classes at schools, colleges, and at any kind of public events.

Marcus always had the dream of bringing the art of capoeira to different countries. In 2000 he united a group of ‘capoeiraists’ and toured Europe teaching in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, and France. He even had students in these countries who graduated with him.

He received the Diploma of Professor in a World Festival of Capoeira in 2002. During that time he taught classes in Madrid with over 150 students.
Besides learning and teaching the art of capoeira, Marcus also has recorded 3 CDs. One of them sold in Brazil, the other in Brazil and Switzerland.

Right now Marcus is teaching capoeira in Gold’s Gyms, as well as at America Student College in Springfield. We are very proud to announce that from now on he is part of our Fred Astaire Dance team offering capoeira classes for kids as well as adults.

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