Negaça Cambridge | About Group Negaça

History
Grupo Negaça Capoeira, founded on 3rd March 2005 by Mestre Chitãozinho and his students, is dedicated to stimulating the practical, cultural and intellectual development of Capoeira.

Capoeira is a Brazilian Martial Art that combines fighting, dance, acrobatics, and music, together with a philosophy that encourages discipline and a sense of morality among its students. Grupo Negaca Capoeira provides a friendly environment in which students can learn and develop these skills.

Grupo Negaça Capoeira functions in 10 cities in the Northeast of Brazil. In July 2008 Mestre Chitãozinho brought Grupo Negaça Capoeira to Cambridge, UK.

For a list of class times please see the class timetable.

Philosophy
The philosophy of Grupo Negaça Capoeira is rooted in the philosophies of the Great Capoeira Masters - Grande-mestres - of the past, and some of the present day. Master Chitãozinho has drawn on those philosophies that looked to preserve the cultural, historical, and spiritual traditions of Capoeira. These philosophies serve to guide and help Capoeiristas within the roda-de-capoeira and also in their everyday lives.

The philosophy of Grupo Negaça Capoeira embraces the following principles. They are not strict guidelines, but rather some suggestions that form the underlying ideologies of Grupo Negaça Capoeira's philosophy:

Respect for all other Capoeiristas, whether from within the same group or from other groups.
Willingness to want to represent the Capoeirista Community in a positive way.
Respect for all Capoeira Masters - mestres - that are worthy of such respect.
Willingness to help preserve and promote Capoeira with all its traditions and values.
Aspiration to put the philosophy of the group into practice; to make less errors; to strive to get things right so that the Group's philosophy can be carried forward with a correct attitude towards Capoeira and life rather than with words.
Willingness to work hard today to understand the technical and theoretical bases of Capoeira, thus spreading the philosophy of the Group and enabling a better tomorrow.
Aspiration to integrate Capoeira into society.
Willingness to reflect upon one's own moral development within Capoeira and encourage the same in others, in order to stimulate a sense of peace rather than violence within the Capoeira Community.
Recognition that it is more important to try to change yourself in a positive way than attempt to change the whole world, as self-improvement can often encourage others to do the same.

Gradings
Like many Capoeira groups, Capoeira Negaça has a grading system that is represented by wearing coloured belts or cordas around the waist. The grades work as follows :

1	BATIZADO (Baptised) The "Batizado" belt is the first belt a Capoeirista receives. At this stage the Capoeirista should be able to perform basic movements and the Mestre Bimba sequence, with some help. Alongside receiving the first belt, the Capoeirista will formally receive his or her Capoeira nick-name.	23	INTERESSADO & AVANCADO (Intermediate & Advanced) For the second (Intermediate) and third (Advanced) belts, the Capoeirista should make an attempt to play the berimbau, tambor (drum), and pandeiro (tambourine), alongside learning the Mestre Bimba sequence by heart.	4 5	GRADUADO & MONITOR (Graduate & Monitor) With the fourth and fifth belts the Capoeira student has arrived at the "Graduated" and "Monitor" stages respectively. The Capoeirista should be able to identify the characteristics particular to the Regional, Angola, and Miundinho games. At this stage the Capoeirista should play well all the above-mentioned instruments and be prepared to lead the singing in the roda.
6	INSTRUTOR (Instructor) To graduate to the level of Instructor the Capoeirista must be able to play all the instruments at a higher level than expected for the lower grades. The student should also have some experience giving lessons under the observation of his or her master. At this level the Capoeirista is also expected to take a written examination on general aspects of Capoeira.	7	PROFESSOR (Teacher) To receive the Professor belt the Capoeirista must have a clear understanding of the previous gradings. The student must be able to play, sing, and talk about Capoeira Angola, Regional, and Miudinho, alongside being able to demonstrate the differences between these styles. The student must also perform the Iuna and at least one of the sequencias de baloes.	8	CONTRA-MESTRE (Counter Master) Master Chitaozinho believes that those professors worthy of receiving the Contra-Master belt should show an immense desire to pass on the cultural, historical, and spiritual values of Capoeira to newer and less-experienced Capoeiristas.

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MESTRE (Master)
A Capoeira Master should be a synthesis of all the knowledge acquired in the previous gradings. The Capoeira Master constructs from the experience he or she has acquired during his or her life as a Capoeirista fundamental teachings that are passed on to the Master's students through his or her work and actions. However, the Master is not simply a pool of knowledge from which his or her students can drink at their will. Rather, the Capoeira Master should know how to adapt and transmit his or her knowledge to each individual student and situation.

ABOUT GROUP NEGAÇA CAPOEIRA