SEE & DO: Grupo Maculelê graduation celebration
Immerse into Brazilian culture as Capoeira Maculelê celebrates its newest grads
This weekend, Oct. 26-28, Capoeira Maculelê Decatur Brazilian Art Center hosts its graduation event for hundreds of students that are ascending to the next level of mastery in the art of capoeira. Capoeira is more than your run of the mill karate or kickboxing class. The 16th century Afro-Brazilian martial art was once used by enslaved Africans in Brazil as a technique, disguised as dance, to fight for their freedom from captivity. But since then, capoeira has become a symbol of hope and freedom, summoned in more recent ties to fight for social justice and the liberties of oppressed and marginalized populations across the globe.
The event includes workshops and performances, and host hundreds of guest — including world-famous capoeira master Mestre Joao Grand. Not only will they be celebrating graduation, but also Mestre Fran Day, an official designated holiday by the City of Decatur. Proceeds from the event will go to Camp Sunshine, an organization that gives children with cancer a sense of normalcy.
Free-$125. Thurs.-Sun., OCt. 26-28. Capoeira Maculelê Decatur Brazilian Art Center, 533 W. Howard Ave., Decatur.