The organisation
As Capoeira Leuven we are a part of the capoeira group called Grupo Internacional Mundo Capoeira, an organisation which is not only active in Belgium but also in Luxembourg, Italy, Ireland, Russia, Turkey and Brazil. Mundo Capoeira was founded in 2006 by Mestre Dendê and has since been under his management, together with Mestres Amoleto, Popeye and Zé Baixinho.
More than 25 years ago Mestre Dendê moved to Belgium to introduce capoeira here. We are in fact one of the oldest capoeira schools in Belgium. Leuven was one of the first cities where Mestre started teaching and “Capoeira Leuven” quickly became a household name.
Instrutor Palitão and Graduado Vinho both also took classes in Leuven for years under the watchful eye of the Mestre.
More information on the group can be found on the official website: capoeira.be.
Organigram
Below you can find the official organigram of our organisation. This version was pubished in July of 2022.
Batizado and Troca de Cordas
Once a year Mundo Capoeira organizes a three-day event where all students get the chance to earn a new grade (‘corda‘) or to receive their first one. This event is called the ‘Batizado‘, or “baptism’ in English. New students who participate for the first time receive their corda after a game with an experienced teacher. He or she will take you down (gently), after which you are officially baptized as a capoeirista. If you are already wearing a corda and qualify for a higher grade, then you change cordas. This ceremony is called the ‘troca de cordas‘.
During the whole weekend workshops are held by internationally renowned teachers. Capoeiristas from all over the world come to Belgium to take classes and play capoeira together. As Capoeira Leuven we are each year present with the full student body. The batizado always ensures an educational weekend and an unforgettable experience!
Our batizado usually takes place in Diest during the second weekend of May.
Grading system
Each capoeira group has its own grading system where the order and value of the coloured cordas are defined (just like in karate). There are two separate systems for kids and adults. For the kids, only the tips are coloured, while we use fully coloured cordas for adults. Below you can find an overview of all grades.
Organization of the bateria
The collection of instruments within a capoeira roda is called a bateria. In Mundo Capoeira we use the following setup:
Depending on the type of game being played in the roda, other rhythms or ‘toques‘ are played on the berimbau. Below you can find an overview of the berimbau rhythms we use within Mundo Capoeira.
