Jogos 2004 Capoeira Competition and Batizado

Event Description:
The Jogos 2004 International Capoeira Competition will be held on Friday, November 5th from 6pm-10pm. The best ABADÁ-Capoeiristas in the U.S. will compete for slots on the U.S. Team, which will be traveling to Rio de Janeiro in August 2005 to represent the U.S.A. at the International Games. Competitors from all over the U.S., Europe, Mexico, and Brazil will be in San Francisco to participate in this unique event, bringing together some of the world’s best capoeiristas for performances of capoeira and maculelê, and amateur and graduate-level competitions. This spectacular athletic and artistic event is a rare opportunity to witness the international evolution of capoeira from its rising stars to Master artists of great historical significance.

The Batizado, or “baptism,” will be held on Saturday, November 6th from 4-7pm. The batizado is a traditional capoeira ceremony in which new students are initiated into the world of capoeira. The new student receives a capoeira nickname, and plays with a Master or instructor, symbolically welcoming them into the capoeira community. For continuing students the batizado is a time of celebration and recognition of their growth in capoeira. Some new and continuing students will receive a cord that represents their level and growth in capoeira. The batizado is a wonderful opportunity to witness the historical and traditional aspects of capoeira and to join ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco’s strong Mission District-based community in celebration of its growth and accomplishments.

Tickets: Per Day: $10 in advance, $12 @ door, Youth (5-17 years) & Seniors $5. 2-Day Pass to both events: $15 in advance, $20 @ door. For advanced tickets, please contact ACSF at 415-206-0650.
For more information, please visit http://www.abada.org

Additional Information:
Capoeira (pronounced ka-poo-e-da) is a dynamic Afro-Brazilian art form unique to Brazil, which developed during the slavery era through shared cultural customs, rituals, and fighting techniques. Capoeira was born as an expression of resistance and resilience. Slaves used capoeira to fight to escape and resist capture, but concealed its combative purpose through music, song, and dance. After the abolition of slavery in Brazil in 1888, capoeira was illegal and its practitioners were socially ostracized for over forty years.The legendary Capoeira “Mestre,” or Master, Mestre Bimba rescued the art form and proved its legitimacy, opening capoeira’s first official school in Bahia, Brazil in 1932. Capoeira has developed into a means of empowerment and a forum for social and cultural exchange. It is now an internationally respected art of grace and strength that combines ritual, self-defense, acrobatics, and music in a rhythmic dialogue of the body, mind, and spirit.

The mission of ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco (ACSF) is to preserve, develop, and share the art of capoeira with integrity, and to use capoeira to enrich disadvantaged communities and the lives of people from all backgrounds.

ACSF offers professional instruction and performance of capoeira at its Mission based Brazilian Arts Center, and at over 30 sites throughout the Bay Area.

Founded in 1991 by master capoeira artist Mestranda Márcia Treidler, ACSF seeks to inspire and empower people, especially youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, to realize their full potential as responsible, confident, productive citizens. By consistently seeking out new creative ways of exploring and sharing the dynamic aspects of the multi-faceted art of capoeira and related arts, ACSF remains a pioneering force in the preservation and development of Brazilian cultural arts.

ACSF operates The Reaching All Youth (RAY) Project at its Brazilian Arts Center. The RAY Project provides free and reduced price capoeira classes, performance opportunities, youth leadership opportunities, artist training, and bi-annual health workshops to youth aged 5-19 from low-income families. The RAY Project offers youth opportunities to travel, compete, and pursue professional positions as artists and instructors. The mission of The RAY Project is to provide ALL youth equal access to ACSF's high-caliber programs, and to support healthy youth development through regular physical and cultural activities lead by positive role models in a supportive learning environment.

ACSF shares name and philosophy with an international organization of 40,000 members—the Brazilian Association for the Support and Development of the Art of Capoeira (ABADÁ), based in Rio de Janeiro. ABADÁ-Capoeira is now the world’s largest capoeira organization and is represented throughout Brazil and in 18 countries worldwide. ACSF prides itself on the originality and constant refinement of its style of capoeira, renown for efficiency, aesthetics, and cultural and historical relevance.

ACSF’s multi-faceted programming serves a diverse, intergenerational population of 38,000 participants and audience members. It is a unique, thriving cultural arts organization that continues to grow as a community empowerment organization.