In April Capoeira Pasifika Mandinga will be hosting a series of workshops and a capoeira event that will feature two renowned capoeira masters, Mestre Jogo de Dentro and Mestre Marcelo Caveirinha.

There will be workshops in both Auckland and Wellington and a marae stay in Taupo (see map below) over the Easter Weekend. The marae stay will involve daily classes, capoeira events and evening discussions about capoeira history, philosophy, music etc. To participate in Taupo you need to enrol for a full day or more.

This Easter Weekend event coincides with the Jambalaya Festival also being held in Taupo which we will be participating in.

These classes and the marae stay as a whole are important not only for those who have been practicing capoeira for a period of time. These are great events for people who have only just begun as well as for those who are interested in starting capoeira. They are events that really provide the full picture of what capoeira is all about. At the marae beginners will have special opportunities to prepare them for the mixed class with the two mestres. See below for more details.

Auckland Workshops:
Tuesday and Wednesday 6pm - 10pm Dance Studio 2, Building 7, Gate 1, UNITEC, Carrington Road.

Mestre Jogo de Dentro is an active promoter of traditional Capoeira de Angola (a form of capoeira). He began practicing the art in 1982 at a renowned academy in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Central to his work is maintaining the traditions of capoeira. He formed a group in Bahia Semente do Jogo de Angola in 1990 which has since led to the formation of groups in two other Brazilian states as well as Canada and Switzerland. His view is that this Afro-Brazilian cultural expression should not be practised as something distant and static but as something living, relevant and able to be practised by everyone.

Mestre Jogo de Dentro has produced two fine CDs of traditional capoeira music and videos recording his work over the last twelve years. His musicianship is of the highest standard and his game is admired widely within the capoeira community in Brazil and around the world.

Marcelo is a great capoeirista, a great person and an excellent teacher. He is the mestre of our parent school Capoeira Mandinga which has many branches in the US and around the world including here, Aotearoa/New Zealand. Marcelo offers a broad and articulate understanding of capoeira from his own Brazilian background and his experience of teaching capoeira outside Brazil. Marcelo has taught in the US for over 15 years and has had to consider local cultural expressions which influences capoeira there while maintaining what is at the heart his capoeira: his Brazilian roots. Marcelo knows that it is essential to nurture diversity. To this end he has alsways had a keen skill in developing a student�s own capoeira and at the same time kept strong ties with different capoeira practices and groups.