This Blog is mostly about capoeira: music and training. I’m a student of the art and I keep a record of some of what we learn in classes/workshops, as I see them as important records of Capoeira teaching. I also explore my various injuries and share anything interesting I find related to Capoeira/Brazilian history and culture.
My childhood nickname is Lelé. Which is just an affectionate, typical shortening of my full name. My friends and family in Brazil call me that and whenever I hear it’s like the child in me is being called to come out and play.
I first started Capoeira in 1987, when I was 16, in Brasilia. I only trained for a couple of months and then had to move to Rio with my aunt/uncle. I couldn’t find anywhere nearby to train, so I had to stop. I moved to London in 1989 and, serendipitously, found a group near where I lived, in Islington. I trained for nearly a year in 1990/1991. I stopped when the teacher, Robinson from Muzenza, left the UK. The only other group I knew of in London back then was too expensive for me – I wasn’t earning much and I was studying. So I stopped, but I never forgot about Capoeira.
Fast forward to twenty years later and I started training again. February 2011, DDL in Streatham. This was unintentional, I thought I was too old to do Capoeira and I was just looking for a local place where my son could learn Capoeira. Mestre Guimba convinced me to give it a go myself and that I wasn’t too old (I was 39 years old). I have been training regularly since then.
From May 2014 I’ve been privileged and honoured to train with Mestre Poncianinho’s Mojuba group in London.
It’s never too late to start learning Capoeira. I spent years not going back because I thought I was too old and that was foolish of me. All I wanted was to train again. Capoeira never left my heart since I first met her when I was a teenage girl.
Thank you for taking the time to read. Here are two Brazilian music mixes I made. Enjoy!
Chico Buarque Mix [Download link – Pcloud]
My original songs… I started writing songs at the end of 2023.
One of my favourite songs on the guitar, played by me…
Videos of some of my games/training/music over the years on YouTube…