Capoeira – Beginners

with Tim Mayhew

Capoeira is a unique art–form that fuses elements of dance, martial art,
acrobatic movement, theatre, rhythm and song.

It is played as a game between two players in a circle formed by the other participants: movements of defence and attack combine in a rhythmic dialogue; the players test each other’s balance and awareness to the guiding rhythm of the berimbau, in a game of physical skill and guile.

With roots in African culture, Capoeira developed in the slavery years in Brazil. It was simultaneously a kind of celebration, and a tool for liberation from captivity, the martial moves being disguised before the slave–owners as a harmless form of dance and joking around.

Capoeira survived centuries of oppression in Brazil, before becoming legalised in the 1950s. It quickly became absorbed into the national culture, and today enjoys worldwide recognition and popularity. Capoeira Angola is the ‘roots’ form of Capoeira, which preserves the original character of the game.

These classes will be led by Tim Mayhew, who has been practicing Capoeira Angola for 11 years, and is a student of Mestre Laercio (Filhos de Angola).

Ten Mondays starting 14th April at Evolution
8.20 - 9.40 pm

Ten Mondays starting 14th Julyl at Evolution
8.20 - 9.40 pm

Cost: £55 (£45 concessions)