Support Culture in Tucson

Feburary 18th to Feburary 20th

24th annual event 

Tucson Capoeira(Quilombolas) is dedicated to promoting and teaching Mestre Acordeon's principles of Capoeira as a living example of Afro Brazilian folklore and culture.Capoeira is interactive in nature, creating a space for its participants to act out their social frustrations inside the roda, or circle. It is physically challenging, requiring a great degree of discipline. It is empowering, in that its students are often expected to start teaching others once they have reached even a limited level of competence. It has a rich history of resistance in Brazil, which can inspire its students to address social problems in a productive way. It is expressive, as students learn a variety of songs and eventually learn to improvise as they play and sing. We have found that capoeira classes have helped children, teens & adults  build social skills, personal confidence and discipline, and express their creativity, among other things.


The impacts of capoeira in society, is its in bringing people closer together and the efforts that many capoeira communities work on to bring about awareness to important causes.
 
Most people would think of Capoeira as another martial arts sport. Another way to get fit and learn the art of self-defense. But the truth is - capoeira is more than that. You could probably think of it as a social club with the benefits of learning great fighting skills and gaining self-confidence.
 
However, most importantly, capoeira is a loving community. It is built on the united strengths of the people.

The batizado is a celebration of initiation for new students.  It is when new students play capoeira with a teacher to receive their first cordão(cord/belt).  It is a tradition that began with Mestre Bimba as a way to recognize a new student’s understanding of beginning steps of capoeira. It was a right of passage that typically happened in class, amongst peers. Today it has become a community celebration that includes the Troca de Cordões(changing of belts) when older students receive their next cordões.  We invite special guest teachers to give workshops, our friends come share their energy to celebrate with us, we have rodas, play music, and ultimately we make our capoeira community stronger. 

We are seeking support for our programming in the form of sponsorships, gift cards, non-perishable food, water bottles, and other small, healthy snacks for our upcoming events this year. These donations will help to support our community education and cultural enrichment activities throughout Southern Arizona, including:

2022 Batizado and Troca de Cordas Event: Featuring world class instruction and entertainment,  Special guests, instructors, and graduated students travel from around the world to this event to participate in seminars, rodas, performances, and the batizado/graduation ceremony itself.

Youth Programs: Our group has been working with children in Arizona for more than 10 years. The benefits of Capoeira for children is not only the historical, linguistic, musical, and cultural aspects, but also in the physical qualities it helps develop: balance, motor coordination, speed, and strength, as well as the discipline of traditional martial arts.

Community Outreach: Tucson Capoeira Arizona has conducted countless workshops, performances, and residency programs for Arizona elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, corporations, sports teams, churches and charity organizations. We are favored performers with avid followers at multicultural festivals, street fairs and other events throughout the state.
We would be immensely grateful for your support 

Sincerely,
Bryan Castle
Movement Culture  Owner & Cultural Director
(520) [phone redacted] // [email redacted]