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About Us

Capoeira is a game, it is dance, it is fight, it is of war and it is of peace, it is of culture, of music, it is a portion of things. (M. Suassuna)

        About Group Senzala
 
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Grupo Senzala was founded in 1963 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with the goals of teaching, researching, and promoting Capoeira. The Senzala style of Capoeira is based on the techniques of Capoeira Regional, which was developed by Mestre Bimba and draws on other influences like Capoeira Angola and gymnastics.

Centro Cultural Senzala de Capoeira was founded by Marcelo Guimaraes, a.k.a. Mestre Peixinho and today is part of Grupo Senzala. Its headquarters is located in Rio de Janeiro and has branches throughout Brazil and several other countries.

Mestre Peixinho began training Capoeira in 1964 with Paulo and Rafael Flores in Rio de Janeiro. The small group of friends would gather often to improve their techniques. They would later unite to become the founders of Grupo Senzala.

Senzala is a school with high standards in terms of the quality and authenticity of Capoeira. Strong ties to history and culture along with refined techniques and discipline make it renown all over the world. The Senzala style has influenced every Capoeira group in the world.

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About Mestre Ramos

 

 

 

 

José Luis Ramos (Mestre Ramos) has started to learn capoeira at the age of 15 in Rio de Janeiro with Mestre Cauã (1973 -1976), then with M. Paulo Morfacto (1976 - 1979) after the death of his first master. In the end of 1979, starts to train with M. Toni Vargas and then with Mestre Peixinho, which formed him as a red belt (highest graduation in the Group Senzala) in 1990.  In 1992, together with other capoeira masters formed by Mestre Peixinho, they founded the Centro Cultural Senzala de Capoeira, which is still active today. At the same time, from 1993 M. Ramos have a capoeira social work in Bangu, west area of Rio de Janeiro; also coordinate capoeira centres in others Brazilian States (Minas Gerais, Cuiabá, Campinas, Belém do Pará) and in others countries (U.S.A., Italy, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia)

Mestre Ramos is regularly invited as special guest in capoeira events organized around the world to give workshop of capoeira and others Afro-Brazilian dances and rituals.  From 2004, M. Ramos organize and coordinate one of the biggest capoeira events of the world, Cultural Interchange Roda Mundo Capoeira, with the participation of the most influent personalities of the capoeira world.

 

About Prof. Da Casa

 

 

 

 

Valerio Todaro (Da Casa) starts to study capoeira at the age of 18 in the cities of Taranto and Bari (Italy) with Prof. Touro. In 2005 he moved to Parma to continues his studies with the university and the conservatory of music, continuing to study and train capoeira with Mestre Samuca. In 2011, he moved to Rio de Janeiro to diving into the capoeira's roots and also to continue his scientifical studies. In the same year, starts to train at Centro Cultural Senzala with Mestre Ramos and enter in the group Senzala. In 2016, aiming new challenges, Da Casa move to Dublin and start to teach capoeira under the guidance and supervision of Mestre Ramos, organizing capoeira workshops and promoting capoeira and Afro-Brazilian manifestations. 

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