Our family LOVES Abada Capoeira! Mastranda Yara is nothing short of amazing with our 6yo son. She is patient, approachable, passionate and disciplined. Our son has gained confidence, coordination, friendships and community through Abada Capoeira. They focu on the techniques of Capoeira, but also learn musical instruments, songs, Brazilian Portuguese language, and so much more. Thank you Yara!!
This is an incredible organization with the most kindest and supportive people! They don't just teach the motion of the martial art but the actual art of it. I was a part of a different capoeira community a long time ago and I was hoping my son would like it as well. He immediately fell in love with capoeira and became passionate about everything it stands for. It happened not just because capoeira is a wonderful martial art but because it lives through amazing and dedicated people!
I've been training at Abada Capoeira DC for 10 years, and I can honestly say it's been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and supportive. They create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable learning and growing.
Beyond the physical training, Abada Capoeira DC has taught me valuable life lessons like discipline, perseverance, and respect. The Capoeira community is tight-knit and supportive, and I've made lifelong friends here.
If you're looking for a fun, challenging, and rewarding activity, I highly recommend checking out Abada Capoeira DC. It's more than just a martial art; it's a way of life.
Joining this capoeira group has been a truly transformative experience! Not only have I deepened my understanding of Brazilian culture and its rich history, but I've also noticed significant improvements in my sleep quality since practicing this incredible art. The sense of community is strong, and I've made wonderful new friends along the way. Additionally, being part of this group has opened up opportunities to explore the Washington, DC metro area and beyond. I highly recommend this group to anyone looking to enhance their physical and mental well-being while immersing themselves in a vibrant cultural practice.
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Abada Capoeira DC is a welcoming community of martial artists that helped me gain the confidence to improve my physical, spiritual, and emotional health. I have made great friends here who are supportive of my Capoeira journey and I am grateful to learn alongside passionate individuals who come from different cultural, physical, and religious backgrounds. Our teacher stressed the importance of maintaining an inclusive space where everyone feels respected and included regardless of age, sexuality, race, and gender identity which really resonated with me. I highly recommend anyone to come out and try a free trial class!
I have been with Abada Capoeira DC off and on since August 2012. I have moved to different states for work and then come back and welcomed, I have taken time for different surgeries and again welcomed back and supported. The teacher is amazing and so helpful and good at teaching people in many ways to help them. The students themselves are also amazing. It's a nice big family atmosphere while we learn the art of capoeira and about Brazilian culture. Also the organization and philosophy is top tier. We are always organizing blood drives, food drives, roadside clean ups. I can't imagine being a part of any other capoeira school. So many different people from varying walks of life coming together for the great art of capoeira.
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This nonprofit is absolutely amazing. The teacher is very knowledgeable and adaptable to each student. I am hard of hearing and she can teach me in ways that work for me that may not work for others. Or sometimes someone is injured and she helps them modify. Everything is like a close knit family. everyone is welcome from all walks of life no matter their size, gender, race, religion, age, nationality or sexuality. In addition to being a welcoming community to train the beautiful art form of capoeira, we also give back to our community by way of food and clothing drives, blood drives and road side clean up. I was on the board and it was always about trying to make our nonprofit better for all involved and I would do it again. I still volunteer when we have fundraisers and other events. I have been a part of this community since Fall 2012 and would not stick with it so long if it wasn't so amazing.
The group is amazing and they are all about their community! Between, the coat drives in the fall, road clean ups, and blood drives throughout the year, it would be hard to argue any other point. They are an inclusive group with members from all walks of life, different ages, religions, cultures, and orientations. Truly the definition of inclusiveness and service!
I love love LOVE this group! Everyone is welcoming and caring. They’ve become my second family.
My oldest son enrolled when he was 5, and he’s now 13 and still trains. My youngest joined when he was just a couple weeks shy of being 5. I have always been a fan of Capoeira since I was a teen. I joined the group when I was 40 years old.
Capoeira does so much for me! It keeps me healthy and in the best shape of my life. My boys and I bond through our training, and we’re all learning a different language, different culture, musical instruments, and acrobatic moves.
If you’re looking for a multi-faceted martial art, come try out Capoeira!
I've been curious about capoeira since I was a child. So when I discovered they had capoeira classes available in Maryland, I immediately signed up my 4-year old daughter for the "Mommy & Me" class in Rockville. We took our first class and now the classes with Abada-Capoeira DC have quickly become the highlight of each week despite the long list of other activities my daughter is enrolled in from ice skating to soccer. My favorite part about capoeira is the way it infuses history, culture, language, music, dance, and martial arts into a single practice making it possible to pursue various interests at once, while developing skills for forming a well rounded individual. My daughter loves to sing and dance, speaks multiple languages, and practices MMA, so capoeira is the perfect way to marry together all of her different pursuits. But even more than the classes, my daughter absolutely loves our primary instructor, Mestranda Yara. Yara is an excellent instructor with a great deal of patience and compassion towards her students, adults and children alike. She is excellent at breaking down complex movements into more simplistic ones that can be perfected over time. And she keeps the kids engaged the entire time through dancing, singing in Portuguese, and playing traditional instruments.
My daughter joined Abada-Capoeira DC (AC-DC) now almost 2 years ago as a typical younger teen with too much energy and and too much time on her hands (outside of school). I encouraged her to try capoeira as I had the idea that this would fit her with the blend of dance-gymnastics-martial arts. She was reluctant to try it, but did so after a bit of pushing. It was an instant hit as I saw the big smile on her face during her trial lesson. She is still a teen - and won't straight out admit it - but she is happy to have found something that fits her style and energy and is 'just hers'.
Besides the physical practice of the art/sport of Capoeira what I love is the sense of community. AC-DC has classes both in Maryland and Virginia and has regular events all over the DMV. Everyone comes together, no-one falls on the outside of the group (even the parents) and it the demographic is literally from 4 to 84; everyone is heartfelt welcome. I can't express my love for these people and the community enough.
Abada Capoeira DC (ACDC) is more than Capoeira. Well, don't get me wrong: ACDC follows a strong school of capoeira, from fundamentals to the finest techniques of this sophisticated martial art. Besides the fighting techniques, students learn music, instruments, chanting, Portuguese language, and Brazilian culture. The additional gems of ACDC are the core values of integrity, social connections, and community spirit. In an era where isolation and loneliness are ever more pervasive in life, Capoeira brings back the joy of connection and communal activities. That's why supporting this group is vital: we need to reinforce our communities through group activities. I can't see a better way of doing this than supporting and joining ACDC!
Zigue Zague (Capoeira student)
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Abada-Capoeira DC changed my life for the better. This organization promotes one the most important actions and attitudes of the current times: community building. Everything we do in Abada-Capoeira is community oriented. Adults and children learn that we can live better and healthier lives by exercising together, developing our artistic skills, grounding ourselves in the teachings of our ancestors, and engaging with broader groups. Such program is a gem within our society that needs to shine! Bernardo
I recently joined Abadá-Capoeira DC, and I must say, the experience has been nothing short of amazing. Mestranda Yara is an incredible teacher who brings immense passion and expertise to every class. Even though I've only attended a few sessions so far, I've thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them.
The atmosphere is welcoming, and Mestranda Yara's teaching style makes the intricate movements and rhythms of capoeira accessible and enjoyable. Her dedication to the art form is evident, and she creates an environment that is both challenging and supportive. I'm excited to continue my journey with Abadá-Capoeira DC and highly recommend it to anyone interested in capoeira.
I was looking for an enrichment program for my son and came across Abada-Capoeira. It met our expectations and beyond. My son gets to learn Portuguese, plays instruments, he's especially excited about the acrobatic moves, and is immersed in Brazilian dance and culture. That's a lot to get out of one program. Its made a difference in our lives as he's open to trying new things. The program has peaked his curiosity in wanting to learn about languages, food, music, dance, the list is endless. I'd recommend Abada-Capoeira if you're looking for something different for your child that's not traditionally sports oriented or a rigid martial arts program. My son started when he was five and its been two years since and he still looks forward to the classes which says a lot about the program and about Professor Yara!
ACDC has been a phenomenal experience for our whole family, even though it is just our daughter who attends classes. As a parent, I love that it is not just about Capoeira, but also about Brazilian culture, where where the kids learn Portuguese and how to play the instruments involved. Filipinos have a term, "barkada" -- which has a deeper meaning than Google would let you believe. It is your chosen family; your friends with whom you do not share blood, but who are in every other way, your life-long family. I've seen how Yara and ACDC have built their barkada and it is truly something special and something we are honored to be a part of.
Capoeira, to me, has many meanings. As a Brazilian, it was always important to make sure that this art form was thought with care to safety, knowledge of its history and heritage, as well as its techniques. After years of searching for the right time and place to start capoeira, I am very happy to have found Abada-Capoeira and Mestranda Yara. Abada-Capoeira is a international institution formed by amazing professionals with over 65000 members in 55 countries, organized as a corporation like structure that is able to keep to its roots and develop capoeira in all of its manny features in order to pass it on to its members not only as the art form but also spreading the Brazilian culture, language, music, spirit in all of its most noble forms. The quality of this institution and Professora Yara bring its members the best of capoeira to the DC metro area, just like it is done in Brazil, at its best capoeira centers. Unfortunately, in such a rare art form, it is easy to have unprepared people taking advantage of those trying to learn, and teaching it just wrong. Yara and Abada-Capoeira will not only teach you the art of capoeira, but will also teach you Portuguese, music, Brazilian culture, discipline, while making it safe, athletic and fun to all. No matter what age, young or old, sex, origin or background. I fully recommend Abada-capoeira DC and Professora Yara as the best capoeira program in the DC metro area.
I choose Abada-Capoeira DC for the sense of community it offers. Professora Yara created a very inclusive learning space where students of all ages, skills and abilities feel welcomed.
My son and daughter both studied capoeira through this program and we are infinitely impressed. My son stayed with the program for many years and it was immensely helpful for his physical development and his sense of self. He also learned some Portuguese and absorbed the complex rhythms and techniques of the music. We all felt part of the Abada Capoeira community. Professora Yara is the centerpiece, an awe-inspiring world champion in capoeira but also a cultural ambassador with a Master's degree in sports psychology and a magnetic personality. She knows exactly how to motivate children and encourage their best efforts. And, she brings people together in support of the broader community's well-being. A great non-profit!
I've been following ABADA Capoeira DC's activities since the very beginning and I can assure that this group makes an excelent work of showing the Brazilian culture for the communities and cultivating and transmiting real values as respect, friendship and solidarity as well. Congratulations ABADA DC.
Abadá capoeira does a wonderful job at keeping capoeira alive and at building a community around the practice of this beautiful sport
Abada-capoeira DC is my life work and among all the lessons capoeira has taught me in decades of practice and teaching, the most important is closely related to the essence of how this art came to be. The principle that the interaction and exchange of the different knowledge, experiences, cultures, backgrounds, a new expression can come to be and be inclusive and respectful of all these differences. The idea that the collective is a way to help and support the individual. The awareness that each one of us is because we all are. That is what drives me and what we hope will stay with everyone that connects with Abada-capoeira DC.