Rockville Academy Class schedule
Kids: Mon-Wed – 5 PM to 6 PM
Adults: Mon-Wed-Fri* – 7 PM to 8:30 PM
*The 1st and 3rd Friday of the months are exclusive for advanced students.
Our program – Abadá-capoeira
The capoeira program in our academy follows the philosophy and methodology of Abadá-capoeira.
Abadá-capoeira is a international organization of over 40,000 members, founded in 1988 by Mestre Camisa, represented throughout Brazil and in over 40 countries, and based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The acronym Abadá-capoeira, translated into English, stand for “Brazilian Association for the Support and Development of the Art of Capoeira”. The original style of Abadá-capoeira seeks to incorporate both Capoeira Regional and Capoeira Angola, and embraces the modernizing innovations of the legendary Mestre Bimba without losing sight of the history and philosophy of the ancient art. Our teaching methodology is both challenging and supportive, rooted in the belief that encouragement and positive role-modeling enable Capoeira to enrich the lives of all students, regardless of level or background.
The mission of Abadá-capoeira is to provide great capoeira experience, by preserving, developing, and sharing the art of capoeira with integrity and respect. Abadá-capoeira seeks to inspire and empower people to realize their full potential as responsible, confident, productive members of society.
WASHINGTON DC school location:
Sports & Health in Tenley Town.
4000 Wisconsin Ave – Level P2
Kids: Sat – 2 PM to 3 PM
Adults: Sat – 3 PM to 5 PM
Instructor Yara Corderio
Yara Cordeiro holds a Bachelor’s Degrees in psychology and physical education. She has Graduate Degrees in Sports Psychology and in Capoeira from the University of Brasília (UnB) and a Master’s Degree in Psychology from the Brasília Catholic University (UCB). She has consistently directed her studies towards understanding the unexplored aspects of the relationship between capoeira and sports psychology. This has led to the publication of three books: Capoeira, Identidade e Adolescência [Capoeira, Identity and Adolescence] (2008); Capoeira e desenvolvimento [Capoeira and development] (2005) and Capoeira e auto-estima [Capoeira and self-esteem], (1998/2003), the latter now in its second edition.
Besides her academic work, in capoeira Yara has been a capoeira practitioner since 1982 and a teacher since 1996. She has held workshops and given lectures about capoeira in Brazil and the U.S. Yara is qualified to teach capoeira to the most diverse groups: children, adolescents, adults, people with special needs and the elderly. She has created a special fitness program that uses capoeira movements for aerobic and localized exercises, as well as another program that uses capoeira movements as a form of body expression and for choreography.
Yara has traveled around the world showing capoeira. She took part in workshops and shows in Brazil, the U.S., France, Switzerland, Germany and South Korea, among other countries. For several years, Yara also competed in regional, national and world championships, achieving the following ranks:
- Abadá-capoeira International Competition (November/2010) – Women’s Champion / 3rd place – Overall
- IV Abadá-capoeira Brazilian Games (August/2004) – Women’s Champion
- IV Abadá-capoeira World Games (August/2003) – Women’s 4th place
- III Abadá-capoeira Federal District Games (June/2003) – 4th place – Overall / Women’s Champion
- III Abadá-capoeira Brazilian Games (August/2002) – Women’s 3rd place
- II Abadá-capoeira Federal District Games (June/2002) – Iýÿna’s Game Champion / 4th place – Overall / Women’s Champion
- II Abadá-capoeira World Games (August/2001) – Women’s 3rd place
- II Abadá-capoeira Brazilian Games (September/2000) – Women’s Champion
- II Abadá-capoeira South-Brazilian Games (May/2000) – Woman Champion / Graduation Champion (green-purple) / Iýÿna’s Game Champion / Graduated Category – 3rd place
About Capoeria
CAPOEIRA (pronounced ka-poo-eyh-rah) is an Afro-Brazilian martial and art self-defense form that brings together fighting techniques, acrobatics, dance, percussion, and songs, in a rhythmic dialogue of body, mind, and spirit. Since the 1500s, many Africans were taken from different areas of West Africa and brought to Brazil to be kept as slaves by the Portuguese. In Brazil, generations of enslaved African people shared the customs, dances, rituals, and fighting techniques that would combine to become Capoeira. Slaves used Capoeira for fighting, escaping and resisting capture, but concealed its combative purpose through music, song, and dance. Although their practice appeared to be a harmless dance, the dancers, or “Capoeiristas”, were rehearsing strong fighting techniques. That needed to be disguised, and trickery is part of what separates Capoeira from other martial arts.
Capoeira was born as an expression of resistance and resilience, and brought spiritual and emotional empowerment to its practitioners. Over time, the culture of enslaved Africans and also that of Brazilian indigenous peoples and Brazilians of Portuguese and European ascent all contributed to the art of Capoeira. The contemporary martial art reflects the cultural and social integration of diverse peoples.
Capoeira has developed over the years as a means of empowerment and a forum for social and cultural exchange. It is now an internationally respected art form of grace and strength, that combines ritual, self-defense, acrobatics, and music in a rhythmic dialogue of the body, mind, and spirit.
