Finding capoeira

Having known before I arrived in Mozambique that my life would likely end if I were to be deprived of capoeira, I did my research ahead of time (as much as was possible) and discovered that, much to my relief, capoeira did exist in Maputo (that is, according to some website that had last been updated in 2004.....but I was still hopeful). I started my search last Monday, and after several tries which involved dodgy directions and lots of confusion around what exactly I was looking for (it took me a while to convince some guards that it wasn’t a cooking school I was after, but a Brazilian martial art) finally managed to locate a group. The group was great, and the instructor was nice enough to give me the lowdown on the other groups in the area....I am still in the process of checking them all out in the hopes of finding somewhere fantastic to train while I am here.

I also stumbled upon a Mozambican/African dance class, complete with live music (drumming and other percussion provided by 4-6 very talented Mozambican men) and some very talented dancers. There is a beginners class three times a week....and I assure you that I will leave here having mastered at least some of the movements they teach (others seem like they should be physically impossible....I’m thinking those might be a bit beyond my skill level). I’m also not going to hold out hope that I’ll graduate from the beginners class to the advanced class, as the advanced class is when the national dance company trains (but one of the drummers turns out to be an old friend of mine, so I’m hoping I can at least get in there and watch!). Photos and video coming, pending approval from the instructor :)