Cadência Cultural project brings free capoeira and samba de roda to São Paulo’s North Zone

Cadência Cultural offers free capoeira and samba de roda activities with Vadeia Sampa and Cadência Brasil Capoeira from January to April in São Paulo’s North Zone.

On Thursday, 8 January, the Cadência Cultural Project joins the school holiday programme Recreio de Férias at CEU Jardim Paulistano, in the North Zone of São Paulo, with an open schedule for the local capoeira community. Throughout the day, the venue hosts capoeira sessions with Vadeia Sampa at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and a samba de roda workshop with the Cadência Brasil Capoeira School at 2 p.m., all free of charge and suitable for all ages.

Located on Rua Aparecida do Taboado, Jardim Paulistano, CEU Jardim Paulistano welcomes one of the first public actions of Cadência Cultural, a project that brings together culture, sport and education through two key Afro-Brazilian expressions: capoeira and samba de roda. The initiative targets children, young people and adults from Brasilândia and neighbouring communities.

Cadência Cultural: training, memory and resistance

Running from January to April, Cadência Cultural unfolds its programme at CEU Jardim Paulistano and at Clube CDC Curtiball, both in the North Zone and long-time partners of the Cadência Brasil Capoeira School. The project offers six training meetings – three focused on capoeira and three on samba de roda – and an online lecture titled “Capoeira in the State of São Paulo: from the 1980s to the present day”, opening historical, political and cultural discussions to practitioners in different Brazilian states and abroad.

All activities include Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) interpretation and accessible spaces for people with reduced mobility. More than regular classes, the project seeks to strengthen a sense of belonging, identity and social transformation, reaffirming Afro-Brazilian culture as a space of resistance and collective creation in Brasilândia.

Vadeia Sampa and the roots of São Paulo capoeira

The capoeira activities within the project are led by Vadeia Sampa, a landmark event in São Paulo’s capoeira scene, dedicated to rescuing the essence of local capoeira traditions. Inspired by the historic rodas led by Mestre Coruja at São Bento – gatherings that brought together great mestres and shaped entire generations – Vadeia Sampa highlights a free, “vadia” capoeira, with no rigid style labels and rooted in experience, tradition and respect for its origins.

The first edition, held in 2012, brought together key figures such as Mestre Brasília, Mestre Ananias and other veteran mestres from the city. The event is also connected to the Roda da República and was influenced by videos that spread new movements and perspectives of contemporary capoeira.

Committed to honouring elder mestres and preserving the memory of capoeira in São Paulo, Vadeia Sampa also embraces collectives such as Mulheres da Garoa, broadening women’s participation and visibility in capoeira. This legacy is reflected in the immersive sessions offered through Cadência Cultural.

Samba de roda with Cadência Brasil Capoeira

The samba de roda activities are conducted by the Cadência Brasil Capoeira School, founded in 2010 by Mestre Fernando Teixeira (Mestre Cabeça). With hubs in Brazil and abroad – including Portugal, the Netherlands, France, Germany and England – the group is known for its educational, community-based and artistic work focused on children, youth and adults.

Cadência Brasil’s approach to capoeira combines movement, music, culture and the building of social bonds, grounded in Afro-Brazilian history and respect for diversity. Its teachers play an active role in spreading and preserving capoeira as cultural heritage and educational tool, expanding their practice through samba de roda, storytelling and community projects.

Project team: production, art and community

The project’s executive producer is Elielma Carvalho, a cultural producer, project manager and cordel writer with over a decade of experience in initiatives that promote Brazilian popular culture. A specialist in Cultural Project Management and postgraduate in Storytelling and Music Education, she leads projects supported by São Paulo’s Municipal Department of Culture, ProAC LAB, the Paulo Gustavo Law and state-level grants, such as “Berimbauê Balancê”, “Equidade Musical”, “Flores do Mandacaru – As Mulheres no Forró” and “As Mulheres, a Capoeira e o Movimento para a Vida”.

The artistic producer is Tante Silva (Antônio Williton), a capoeira teacher with more than 20 years of experience in formal, non-formal and community contexts. Trained by Cadência Brasil Capoeira, he designs pedagogical practices that integrate capoeira, popular culture and critical thinking, including educational work with Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement (MST). In Cadência Cultural, he oversees artistic concept, methodology and the structure of capoeira sessions.

The project proponent is Cristiano Amorim, a capoeira practitioner for seven years with Cadência Brasil Capoeira, who actively participates in community actions and technical seminars. He coordinates overall implementation, monitors activities and maintains dialogue with the beneficiary community, reinforcing the collective character of the initiative.

Cadência Cultural was selected in the 2nd Municipal Programme for the Promotion of Capoeira in the city of São Paulo, run by the Municipal Department of Culture and Creative Economy, ensuring that all activities are free and open to the public.

Schedule – Cadência Cultural

Cadência Cultural at CEU Jardim Paulistano

Date: Thursday, 8 January

Venue: CEU Jardim Paulistano – Rua Aparecida do Taboado, s/n – Jardim Paulistano, North Zone, São Paulo – SP, 02814-000

Audience: Recreio de Férias participants and the local capoeira community

Capoeira sessions with Vadeia Sampa: 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Samba de roda session with Cadência Brasil Capoeira: 2 p.m.

Online lecture – “Capoeira in the State of São Paulo: from the 1980s to the present day”

Date: Monday, 2 February

Time: 7 p.m.

Format: Online lecture with three guest speakers

Clube CDC Curtiball – North Zone

Address: Rua Pascoal da Costa, 4 – Vila Albertina, North Zone, São Paulo – SP, 02730-020

26 March, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. – samba de roda activity with Cadência Brasil Capoeira

11 April, Saturday – capoeira session with Vadeia Sampa at 3 p.m. and samba de roda with Cadência Brasil Capoeira at 5 p.m.

Age rating: all ages – all activities are free

Instagram: @cadencia_brasil_capoeira_sp

Photo: Press handout