ABOUT
Capoeira is an African-Brazilian art form that combines dance, martial arts, music and acrobatics. Africans in Brazil created Capoeira over 400 years ago as a way to defend themselves and maintain their culture in the face of the harsh and oppressive conditions of slavery. Capoeira and Capoeiristas - those who practice the art - have survived tremendous odds to develop their art form while facing discrimination from the upper and middle classes of Brazilian society. Capoeira was illegal to practice up until the early 1930s, when legendary Mestre Bimba founded the first legal Capoeira Academy and created a new, contemporary style of the art, Capoeira Regional. Practiced in a circle called a roda (pronounced ho-dah) and accompanied by live music, Capoeira can be graceful or combative as the situation dictates. Originally considered a lower class pastime, Capoeira is now a living art and profound social force throughout the world.
Omulu Capoeira Guanabara group is led by world-renowned Capoeira masters, Mestre Preguiça and Mestre Di Mola. Mestre Preguiça and Mestre Di Mola each have a unique and important role in the history and development of the art. After maintaining two separate and successful Capoeira groups, the two Mestres joined forces in 2002 and created Omulu Capoeira Guanabara, one of the worlds most respected and recognized Capoeira schools. The group's mission is to promote the art of Capoeira through the development of high-quality training academies, professional performance groups, and community culture and education programs. Chapters include San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Minneapolis, Sweden, Brazil, Canada, Venezuela and Mexico.
In 2002, Instructora Cotonete (Nadine Mundo) founded the first New York chapter of Omulu Guanabara. Since then, the group has hosted several performances, parties, fundraisers and community workshops. Mestre Preguiça and Instructora Cotonete work together to help spread Capoeira throughout the tri-state area.
