Capoeira (Portuguese pronunciation: [kapuˈejɾɐ / kapwˈɐjɾɐ]) is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music. It was developed in Brazil[citation needed] at the beginning of the 16th century. It is known for its quick and complex maneuvers, predominantly using power, speed, and leverage across a wide variety of kicks, spins, and other techniques.
The most widely accepted origin of the word capoeira comes from the Tupi words ka'a ("jungle") e pûer ("it was"), referring to the areas of low vegetation in the Brazilian interior where fugitive slaves would hide. A practitioner of the art is called a capoeirista (Portuguese pronunciation: [kapuejˈɾistɐ]).
On 26 November 2014, capoeira was granted a special protected status as "intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO.
The biggest quilombo, the Quilombo dos Palmares, consisted of many villages which lasted more than a century, resisting at least 24 small attacks and 18 colonial invasions. Portuguese soldiers sometimes said that it took more than one dragoon to capture a quilombo warrior since they would defend themselves with a strangely moving fighting technique. The provincial governor declared "it is harder to defeat a quilombo than the Dutch invaders."
Capoeira's history begins with the beginning of African slavery in Brazil. Since the 16th century, Portuguese colonists began exporting slaves to their colonies, coming mainly from Angola. Brazil, with its vast territory, received most of the slaves, almost 40% of all slaves sent through the Atlantic Ocean. The early history of capoeira is recorded by Historians such as Dr desch-Obi, who provides historical context for Capoeira in Brazil.
Originally, the ancestor tradition originated from Angola and was called N'golo/Engolo; a type of ritual dance that used several elements of kicking, headbutting, slap boxing, walking on one's feet, deception, evasion etc. The purpose was also religious as it both provided a link to the afterlife (which was the opposite of the living world) and enabled a person to channel their ancestors into their dance. For example, during the dance, a person might become possessed by an ancestor in the past who was talented at N'golo. This could be applied to a Martial setting in both combat and warfare which was called N'singa/ensinga; the difference to N'golo being that it included weapon use and grappling. During the Atlantic Slave trade, this tradition transferred around the Americas; Brazil (Capoeira), the Caribbean (Damnye) and the United States (knocking and kicking). A large amount of Angolans were sent to Madagascar during the slave trade and it still survives today as Moringue/ Moring.
Capoeira Topazio was founded in 1988 by Raimundo dos Santos, known as Mestre Dinho. The group introduced new movements to the capoeira arsenal and stressed the importance of ground fighting and the inclusion of jiu-jitsu in capoeira training. Starting with just five street children, the group has branched out to a number of different cities and countries such as Argentina, Mexico, USA, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Turkey, and Australia and has roughly 15,000 practitioners worldwide.
The Topázio Group can be easily recognized, since it has a unique style followed by all members of the group since its formation, making the jogo style as easily recognized wherever you look. All members remain united because they have the same philosophy and the same objective in relation to Capoeira: raising more and more awareness, making it popular and practiced worldwide.
International Group Topázio Capoeira was born in Salvador in the Bay on 29 March 1988 by the founder Raimundo dos Santos, better known as Mestre Dinho. Topázio has been developing important work with its own methods and philosophy distinct from that of other groups that exist today. With a strong technical Capoeira, Grupo Capoeira Topázio is spreading in three aspects of great relevance to the world of Capoeira.
1) Capoeira Art & Citizenship
2) Capoeira Show
3) Capoeira FIGHT
Mestre Dinho himself says: "Capoeira has always been and always will be a struggle." Well known in Bahia, Brazil, and the rest of the world, the Topázio Group performs the work of highly studied Capoeira techniques, introduced by Mestre, but always keeping the roots of Capoeira (Angola and Regional).
Since its inception, when Mestre Dinho began training Capoeira, he sought knowledge of other martial arts such as Taekwondo, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Boxing, etc. But he always remained faithful to Capoeira. His goal was to learn the different techniques and what he found best in each one of them to give greater efficiency to techniques in Capoeira. Over time, he became one of the most famous and respected capoeiristas. Capoeira Topázio is neither more nor less than a perfect and harmonious combination of techniques, making it an instrument of defence, capable of providing security, confidence and tranquility to its practitioners.
Whether you want to change your lifestyle, lose weight, meet new people, Capoeira might just be what you have been searching for. At Capoeira Topazio London, we are focused on providing warm and friendly sessions with the highest levels of students satisfaction and we will do everything we can to meet your expectations. With a variety of offerings to choose from, we're sure you'll be happy working with us. Look around our website and if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact us. We hope to see you again! Check back later for new updates to our website. There's much more to come!
Raimundo dos Santos - Mestre Dinho - was born on May 15, 1957, in the Boa Vista neighborhood of São Caetano, in the Lower City, in Salvador. None of his ancestors played capoeira, which he learned at the age of 14 with Mestre Fiinho and Mestre No, in Boca do Rio.
Extremely disciplined, do not smoke or consume alcoholic beverages, besides encouraging all his students have him as an example of a healthy life to be followed: he trains capoeira, boxing, jiu-jitsu, runs and does bodybuilding daily, does not lose night and promotes among the components of the drug campaign group. to design his name to the being member of the Group Viva Bahia, of the teacher Emília Biancard, from 1978 to 1982, with which traveled to diverse countries realizing folkloric show. Since 1983, he coordinates and participates daily in the show of the Solar Restaurant of the Unhão, in Salvador, that besides capoeira, makes presentations of maculelê, dance of the orixás of the candomblé, pulled of net and samba of roda. Topaz has among his best students his own children, Rudson, who trains with his father since the age of 4 and in the baptism of the 25 years of the Group in the year 2013 was named Master of Capoeira. And Ramon already trained in the art of Brazilian fighting.
Mestre Dinho is known in the scenario of capoeira for introducing blows of other modalities, he declares to be contributing to the update of capoeira, without, however, to characterize it.
In this sense, Mestre Dinho acts as a continuator of the work of Mestre Bimba, who inaugurated regional capoeira by differentiating it from capoeira practiced at the time (and later called capoeira Angola), by introducing movements of other arts martial arts.
Son of Mestre Dinho, he began to train at the age of seven, but had the first contact with capoeira at the age of 04, with his father. Born in Salvador, he accompanied the Mestre from the early days of the baptism and shows, as well as participating in the Solar do Unhão show, a traditional restaurant in Salvador, since the age of 9.
He began traveling to participate in shows capoeira, with the group Bahia Bahia, who performed for 25 years at Solar da Unhao, and today performing with SHOW FOLCLÓRICO TOPÁZIO, directed by Mestre Dinho and Mestre Rudson. At the age of 15, he made his first trip out of the country to participate in the baptism of one of the Topázio group's branches in Argentina. Since then, he has worked and trained extensively, devoting most of his time to publicizing capoeira on the world stage. In addition to capoeira, he trains boxing and jiu jitsu.
At the age of 17 he was invited to participate in the Terra Samba group, with which he started traveling to perform during capoeira perfomance shows. With this work, he also became known outside the circle of capoeira, being recognized in the streets by fans of the group. Its goal is to make capoeira known and increasingly practiced by all people. Master Rudson currently coordinates in Salvador the headquarters of Grupo Topázio, located in Ladeira de Santana, nº 2 - Nazaré CEP: 40040-460 Salvador Estado: BA. Telefone(s): +55 71 9129-3443 / 3033-3366, where he teaches classes from Monday to Friday.
Josival Bispo – nicknamed “Formiguinha” – was born on 8th December 1972. Formiguinha is the
Mestre for the International Group of Capoeira Topazio, in Sydney, Australia.
In 1979, at the early age of 7, he started Capoeira with Mestre Fiinho in Salvador, Bahia,
Brasil. Formiguinha began performing in 1982 when he joined “Obatena”,a folkloric group in Bahia. At aged 12, Mestre Fiinho saw Formiguinha’s potential and gave him the opportunity to perform at Solar Do Unhão, a traditional restaurant in Salvador. Here, he met Mestre Dinho, who taught him and helped him expand his knowledge and abilities of this beautiful Martial Art. In 1988, Mestre Dinho presented Formiguinha with his first Belt (corda) as an Instrutor, after which he begun teaching Capoeira.
Formiguinha has achieved a great deal in his career as a Capoeirista.
In 1997, Mestre Formiguinha found a new home in Sydney, Australia. Since then, he has continually performed around Australia –Melbourne, Queensland, Canberra and Cairns. In 2000, Formiguinha opened a branch school in Sydney for the International Group of Capoeira Topazio; which has been continually and successfully running to this day.
The Formado Comprido (Pedro Martin) is from Castilla La Mancha (Spain), although he considers himself sevillian (Andalusia), born in May 1978 and owes his nickname Capoeira "Comprido" to his stature). He is the oldest student of the Contra-Mestre Caveira, and has spent 22 years practicing capoeira. He started training capoeira in 1996, like most spaniards of the time motivated by the film "Only the Strong" by Mark DaCascos, when he was already a Full Contact Professor. In 2001 he received the graduation of a trained student in Salvador de Bahia - Brazil, from the hands of Mestre Rudson. He has worked for 18 years with capoeira in the capital of Seville, where he can be credited with the merits of:
Establishment of capoeira in Seville
1st student Trained in Spain of the International Capoeira Topázio Group of Mestre Dinho
Portal administration: www.capoeiras.com
Author of the Book in Spanish: "Ao som do berimbau: capoeira"
1st Official Monitor of the Workshops of the Hon. Seville City Council 2002-05
Collaborator Section Capoeira in Andalusian Sports
Internet Developer of Capotherapy © Mestre Gilvan www.capoterapia.com
Online promoter of "Capoeira: Jogo Atletico Brasileiro" © Joel Pires Marques
Promoter in Spain of "Mestre Bimba: A Capoeira Iluminada" by Luiz Fernando Goulart Founding partner of C.D Capoeira Topázio in Seville (2001)
The only task that each awakening proposes is to continue contributing to the diffusion of capoeira, the martial art of Brazil, and thus demonstrate that it is an art for all.
He is willing to collaborate in the projects that any person proposes, as long as the reasons that motivate them are honest.
The task of translating his book: "Ao Som do Berimbau: capoeira" into English has been proposed on several occasions by some very dedicated students, but for reasons of time has still been achieved. Its marketing is limited to Spain and South American countries (Spanish-speaking) with which Editorial Alas handles shipments in an ordinary manner.
More information:
Graphic History of Capoeira in Seville
Capoeira Sevilla
Book of Capoeira
Presentation Formado Comprido
Many think that it is impossible to change body, others believe that it is possible only in a long period and at the price of great sacrifices ... none of this!
First we must understand that in addition to a good aerobic training and strengthening, the real "gym" starts from the table, it is very important, then, to follow a healthy and balanced diet.
We must be very careful not to confuse this word with "diet", the diet for the body is always something negative, which is interpreted by our body as a symptom of lack of food or hunger.
When the body understands that it is on a diet, it first reduces the metabolism and then tries to get rid of all the structures that in the famine they can not afford to maintain; In other words, it breaks down the muscles because they are an expensive structure to maintain.
So, dieting is the fastest way to lose your muscles.
The maximum success of a physical program for an athlete occurs when he trains well and consistently, accompanying him with small measures in daily life, even outside the gym, such as: not smoking, avoiding alcohol consumption, eating healthy foods (genuine or controlled), sleep at least eight hours per night, etc.
With the practice of Capoeira and specifically with your athletic training, our goal is to achieve improvement and improvement of motor skills.
The ability of the body's systems to group, process and administer oxygen
The ability of the body's systems to process, supply, store and use energy
The ability of a muscle unit or a combination of muscle units to apply force
The ability to maximize the arc of movement of a joint.
The ability of a muscle unit, or a combination of muscle units, to apply maximum force for a minimum amount of time.
The ability to reduce the repetition time of a repeated movement.
The ability to combine a series of different movements in one movement.
The ability to decrease the transition time from one series of movements to another.
The ability to control the position of the center of gravity of a body in relation to its base of support.
The ability to control movement in a specific direction or intensity.
The quality of being light-hearted or full of fun. Be a warrior while living a second chilhood.
The capoeira practise is full of joyful and soulfulness. You will for sure improve your body condition, heal your spirit and strength your mind!
We offer capoeira classes for kids and adults in different cities in 26 countries around the world. The combination of dance, acrobatics, music and martial arts, makes capoeira a wonderful experience for everyone. Young and old, men and women, beginners and advanced, everybody is welcome. Come and join our training and discover the game of capoeira!
Like the Martial Arts in general, Capoeira also adopts its own code of behavior that every athlete is invited to follow in order to respect and preserve the harmony of the individual and the group. Rather than considering them as rules, these are good behavioral advice to follow in and out of the academy where you train all the way in the practice of capoeira, always remembering that common sense is the basis of everything.
Very important aspect in character and sports training at an early age, is represented by the figure of the parents. The latter are invited to constantly interact with the lecturer in order to evaluate the athletic growth and character of the child in perfect synergy. It is important, in fact, that the triad represented by the School, Family and Sport, works in agreement so as not to confuse the ideas to the minor and allow him the healthiest path of growth that can be offered.
Obviously the collaboration is at the base of every relationship, if it may be difficult for the lecturer to communicate constantly with the various families of the associates because of the high number, the latter are invited to relate immediately with the organizational structure establishing the most healthy and transparent partnerships.
Always adopt a respectful behavior inside and outside the academy, remembering that the image that gives of itself is also the image of one's group.
Respect punctuality and assiduously practice training, if you can not train, attend the academy anyway to observe what is taught and to make a profitable learning.
Always wear the uniform in perfect order, if this is not possible in exceptional cases, dress strictly in white.
Respect and obey the Master, the Instructors, the most experienced degrees and all the older people. But don't talk during the class!
Have friendly relations and be an example with peers, beginners and children.
In "civil" life one must be an example of moral correctness and seriousness, avoid showing the techniques that are learned to friends outside the academy, remembering that the true strength lies in the humility of our actions.
The sporting practice and its training process demand absolute correctness, seriousness, morality and humility, constantly enhancing the culture and tradition that lie behind the discipline of capoeira.
Is prohibited smoking, drinking alcohol or using drugs. Stay at home when sick.
Keep yourself clean: wash your uniform after every use and don't forget to cut your nails.
Help your training partners with corrections while training in couples but don't try and teach someone a technique, ask the teacher.
Be aware of using strength over technique. Care about your partners and remember that the class is not a competition, and often not even a fair fight.
Enjoy. A trick to practise capoeira for a long time is learn to have fun while training, so, make the best of the time you spent learning in the class and enjoy your time.
Introduction
| Description | Documentation |
|---|---|
| Topázio Association Logo | Download |
| Mestre Formiguinha Biography | Download |
| Topázio Association Membership Form *Fill in this document with Adobe Acrobat Reader and attach to an email to send us. Alternatively you may bring it printed to the class/event. |
Download |
| Topázio Association Student Form *In consideration of being allowed to participate in any way in the classes, events, and/or activities of Topázio Association you MUST fill in this document with Adobe Acrobat Reader and attach to an email to send us. Alternatively you may bring it printed to the class/event. |
Download |
| Topázio Association Rule Book | Download |
| Topázio Association Registration Certificate | Download |
| Topázio Association Insurance Public Liability | Download |
| Capoeira Files | Link |
| Capoeira Topázio around the World | Link |
| Capoeira Topázio - Brazil - 2018 Encounter | Download |
Meeting regulatory requirements often results in costs to a charity. It is important to remember that running professional, sustainable and effective charities costs money. Charities have ongoing costs involved with their charitable work, which they need to finance. Charities seek donations via a range of activities such as door-knock or other appeals, holding events or raffles. In our case, we also offer a complete line of capoeira clothing, instruments, accessories and more to outfit capoeiristas of all skill levels. Men, women and children can pursue their love of capoeira while wearing quality capoeira pants and shirts, and berimbaus, atabaques, pandeiros and more can be purchased from us.
